Redemption
by EnergyBlastNinjaWriter
Summary: (Spoliers for Season 8) Emperor Garmadon now rules Ninjago, most of the ninja are dead, and those who are still alive have now faded into the shadows of New Ninjago City. Abused, used, and hurt, Harumi begins to face reality that redemption may be almost impossible. Her only hope now is for someone, ANYONE, to give her a second chance. (Rated T for romantic themes and violence)
1. Part 1

" _New Ninjago City is now under control of its new leader, Emperor Garmadon and his legion of warriors known as Garmadon's Fist, previously known as the Sons of Garmadon. It seems all of Ninjago has lost hope as Garmadon continues to take over countless villages and populated areas across the map. We estimate that it will be only a matter of days before every populated town, city, or village bares the flag of Lord Garmadon."_

Lloyd Garmadon sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration and exhaustion. He grudgingly reached for the television remote and switched it off, setting the remote back down on the counter. Leaving the kitchen, he walked over into the living room where his teammates were wiped out. Lloyd resisted the urge to chuckle at the sight. Nya was laid rather lazily on the sofa, her raven hair in a mess, and her face pressed into the pillow. On the other couch was Skylor, who was laid more comfortably on the other couch, but loose strands of her bright red hair brushed across her face as she lightly snored. And seated Indian-style on the floor was PIXAL, who was contently powered off, probably to save power.

 _If only the guys could see this…_ Lloyd thought to himself with a sad smile. It had now been two weeks since the death of Zane, Cole, Kai, Jay…and even little baby Wu. Such a tragic event had crushed the remaining members of the team, which now composed of Lloyd himself, as well as Nya and PIXAL, and now Skylor had basically joined the team as well in this past mess of events. _Too bad Kai never got to see her accept his offer to be a ninja…_

Lloyd walked over to Skylor and pulled a blanket over her small body, and then doing the same for Nya. Lloyd looked at PIXAL for a few moments, knowing that a blanket would make no difference for the android, but he did it anyway. Soon all three of the young women were snuggled under the blankets, and Lloyd felt content with leaving them here to get their rest.

Switching the lights of the apartment off, Lloyd walked outside and locked the doors, walking into the brightly lit city. It was already about 2:00 in the morning, but Lloyd knew this was the only chance he would get to look around New Ninjago City. The girls would have forbidden it. He walked down a few blocks until he reached an old garage out back behind the Auto Body Shop. He had "borrowed" the space ever since Garmadon had taken over, and for good reason.

Unlocking the garage, the doors swung open and Lloyd was greeted by a huge item concealed underneath a large brown cloth. Pulling it off, Lloyd took a good look at his favorite car, the Ninja Nightcrawler G-5. The large green and gold vehicle was a bit dirty from its previous battle at Kryptarium Prison back when Garmadon and Harumi took over the place, yet it still held it's futuristic, yet cozy charm. Lloyd disputed with himself on whether or not to take it out for a spin, but it was so large and obvious that some of Garmadon's Fist would definitely recognize it on the streets of New Ninjago City. Lloyd didn't want to admit it, but he may have to get a new ride if he ever wanted to move faster than a running pace again. Which was a shame, considering how awesome his current ride was, and how difficult it was to get it back from Kryptarium in the first place.

A few moments went by before the dirt and grime that coated the armored shell of the car began to annoy Lloyd to the point that he grabbed a rag and a bucket of water from a nearby closet so he could wash it all off. Maybe one day he'd get to ride the Nightcrawler again, but for now he may as well make it look presentable.

He washed up and down and all around the car, making sure to clean off every little speck of dirt and sand. Eventually the car began giving off that shiny green color once again, and Lloyd was satisfied with his work. Placing the rag and bucket back in the closet and throwing the large cloth back over the car, Lloyd exited the garage, locking it up.

 _CRICK!_

Lloyd froze, his heart pounding and his mind racing. What had made that noise? Had it been a member of Garmadon's Fist? Was it one of the girls who had heard him leave the apartment?

It took a few seconds before he realized that it was footsteps…outside the Auto Body Shop. Lloyd slowly made his way around the shop until he could get a good look. He lifted his hood over his head, hoping that it would help him blend in more. Unfortunately, green wasn't exactly the best color for that job. Maybe in the jungle or forests, but certainly not here in the lower levels of the city. He inched his head around to get a good look, and instantly swerved back behind the wall as he realized who it was.

 _Mr. E, Killow, and Ultra Violet._

All three of Garmadon's top gang leaders…here at the Auto Body Shop. Lloyd supposed it shouldn't be such a surprise that bikers came to an Auto Body Shop, but still…all three in the same place at once? It had to be something really important.

He peeked his head around once more, and noticed another important detail. Both Mr. E and Killow were holding their respective masks. The Mask of Vengeance and the Mask of Deception…both of those gang leaders were known for using the masks very often in battle, which made them extremely feared among the people of Ninjago. But Ultra Violet didn't have the Mask of Hatred…in fact, neither of them were holding that all-too familiar purple Oni Mask. Only one answer came to mind.

 _Harumi._

Harumi tended to use the mask even more than Ultra Violet did, and it seemed at this point to match her personality, so why not? Her heart had been hardened ever since she was a little girl and eventually it grew into pure hatred towards Lloyd and everything he stood for. Lloyd would have felt sorry for what she went through as a child if she hadn't let it consume her like this.

 _I need to get out of here…_

Lloyd thought to himself and slowly backed away from the shop, before he bumped into something behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He could just tell.

"Hello again, Lloyd," Harumi's fake-sweet voice came back to haunt him once again, and Lloyd lightly winced as he wondered how long it would be before she sicked Mr. E or Killow on him. Or Ultra Violet. She's a crazy one…

"What do you want, Harumi?" Lloyd spoke brashly and almost darkly, wanting more than anything to be back at the apartment with the girls.

"I believe I should be the one asking _you_ that question," Harumi pointed out. "After all, you were spying on _us_."

Lloyd slowly backed away from her, making sure to still stay out of sight of the gang leaders in the shop. Yet the snow-haired girl followed his every step, making it so that Lloyd could never enlarge the gap between them. His eyes narrowed as he spotted her hand slowly pulling the Mask of Hatred into view, and Lloyd held out his own hand in warning.

"Don't," he spoke gravely, shaking his head slowly. "You look far better without it, trust me."

"Sometimes beauty must be sacrificed for power," Harumi shot back softly, her silky voice playing at the blonde just as it always did. Even now, she had her ways of getting in his head. "But I will honor your request," She added, throwing the Mask of Hatred down. "This time."

Lloyd shook his head once more, his eyes widening. "Harumi, please…We don't have to fight…"

"Don't worry, sweetheart," She purred, walking in a slow circle around him, a playful smile on her face. "I won't call out the gang leaders on you. This time, I want it to be just _us…_ "

Lloyd wasn't sure if he should be more surprised at the fact that she wasn't going to call someone like Killow out to pummel him or that she called him "sweetheart." Yeah, it was probably a bit of both.

He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts as her gloved fist came hurling towards him. In a swift move, he caught the fist in his own hand, slowing her attack. Yet she used the opportunity to send her knee up and slam into his stomach, then pulled his right arm behind his back. Lloyd was surprised by her strong grip, but that didn't stop him from loosening up and sliding out of her hold – a trick Cole had taught him – and sending a kick at her stomach, causing the girl to fall to the floor. Lloyd couldn't help but smirk at the thought that he still had it in him, even without his power.

Harumi wiped away a bit of blood from her bottom lip with a smirk and lunged back at Lloyd with a series of punches. Lloyd managed to block or dodge them, before she sent one last punch that unexpectedly hit him in his side. His hands naturally fell down to touch the bruised spot, which gave Harumi the opportunity to send a kick at his head. Luckily, Lloyd was able to catch her leg just in time, and it was at that moment that Harumi knew she screwed up.

Lloyd swung Harumi over his head, causing her to be thrown against the side of the brick wall. Lloyd slightly winced, almost regretting having done that.

 _Hopefully she didn't break any bones…er, uh, why should I care?_ Lloyd groaned to himself.

Rather than screaming in pain or at least crying out in anger, Harumi laughed it off. Yet this time, it wasn't dark or evil like before. It almost sounded like she was having…fun. Like, actually enjoying this for the sake of having someone to spar against. Not that Lloyd didn't enjoy it too...

"You're getting better at this, I can tell," Harumi cracked her fingers with a smirk, turning her shoulders in preparation for Lloyd's next move. She continued approaching him, as if she expected him to be the next to attack. When he still didn't send any blows towards her, she extended two fingers towards him, making a motion to "come and get it."

So Lloyd did. He sent a few punches towards her, yet she was able to dodge every attack. He sent a few more blows, yet she expertly swerved away from each one, tiring him out.

"Exhausted yet, Lloyd?" Harumi purred. "That's a move that your father taught me. The Art of the Silent Fist. To fight-"

"-without fighting," Lloyd finished for her, his heart sinking. "He taught me that one too…"

"Listen here, Lloyd," Harumi began, moving closer to the green-clad blonde. "Despite what you may think, I don't _hate_ you by any means. In fact, I used to admire you when I was a little girl. Before the Devourer took my parents from me…" She sighed. "Look, to be honest…" She trailed off, looking around her as if she didn't want anyone listening in. "I never wanted to hurt you…"

"You _killed_ my brothers and my uncle," Lloyd spat out venomously. "And stop with the 'playing nice' stuff. It might have worked on me before, but it doesn't now."

Harumi sighed, placing a gloved hand on her forehead. "You just won't understand…" She lunged at Lloyd once more, causing the Green Ninja to once more swerve out of her way. She grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him close. "Look, I didn't want to kill anyone. I certainly wasn't thinking on the day my parents died as a child, that I wanted to kill the ninja. I looked up to you!" She sent another punch towards him. "I was a little girl who thought maybe one day I could be just like you!" Once more, she struck at Lloyd. "But your father killed the Great Devourer, _not_ you."

"Did you even _see_ what happened?" Lloyd shook his head in disbelief. "He killed that beast in cold blood! And then he ran away with the Golden Weapons so he could turn Ninjago into his own image! My father…er, _Lord Garmadon_ , was dead before and so was Sensei Garmadon. Bringing him back was playing with a power that cannot be controlled!"

"But sometimes, things _must_ be sacrificed. Ninjago needed order, and to be under the control of those who deserved that position," Harumi folded her arms against her chest, blowing a stray white hair out of her face.

"So you killed the Emperor and Empress, and even Hutchins, so you could give Garmadon that position?" Lloyd's eyes widened, and his shoulders slumped. "And just how long do you think he's gonna listen to you? You gave him the throne, and it won't be too long before he realizes that you're expendable!"

"I am _not_ expendable!" Harumi yelled, poking a finger at Lloyd's chest. " _I_ was the one who brought him back, and _I_ am the one who gave him his empire!" She pulled Lloyd in closer to her, and stared at him with narrowed eyes. But that playful smile returned yet again. "And if you had only _joined_ us, I could have given _you_ so much more."

Lloyd shut his eyes, turning away from her, but she persisted on. "Whether you want to admit it or not, Lloyd, we truly have fallen far…for each other." Lloyd shifted lightly, and Harumi placed her hand on his shoulder. "Clearly, my sweet charm and flirtations must have done the job, because _my, my,_ you were quite obviously in awe at the point we were alone in Strangler's Path. And while I admit that some of my flirting and teasing was because I needed to get you wrapped around my finger…I found that I liked you too."

Lloyd, in a blushing mess, stuttered a few times, yet no actual words could come out. "Well…well, it's a bit too late to be telling me this now, Harumi! I gave you a chance, and you abused it. You've killed innocent people, you resurrected my father in his darkest form, you probably are partly responsible for my powers disappearing, and you have quite simply doomed Ninjago! You have _some_ nerve!" He pulled away from Harumi and walked farther away.

"Look, I'm _sorry…_ " Harumi started, walking after him. "I know you probably don't believe me, but…"

"I don't care, Harumi!" Lloyd shouted angrily, whipping around to face her. "Sorry doesn't cut it for all you've done! You're only saying this because you-" Lloyd trailed off, and Harumi smirked.

"Because I like you?" She spoke for him. "Lloyd…you may think I'm a bad girl but…" She walked right up to Lloyd, making the gap between them even smaller. "I'm still human, and I still feel regrets, okay? I…did some things I shouldn't have. And I know I could never make up for all of it…but all I want is for _you_ to forgive me. That's all I want…" Her arms snaked their way around his neck, and Lloyd fought back the urge to pull away.

"You want me to forgive you?" Lloyd asked, staring her down. "You can start with putting an end to this. Go back to Garmadon's Fortress, defeat him, and then we'll see about me forgiving you."

"Oh, Lloyd, you know I can't do that…" Harumi purred, hugging him closer. "He's reached his True Potential. He's too powerful. And I don't have any powers…"

"Well, neither do I, thanks to you. And here I am with the remainder of my team, which _isn't_ much by the way, and yet I still haven't left the city, because while I know the odds of me beating him are slim to nothing…I _have_ to stand strong for my home. Otherwise, I could never even forgive _myself…_ " He sighed, looking back at her. "And I know you'd never stand up to him anyways. You did all this for revenge, Harumi. And as long as my father satisfies that hunger, you're perfectly content with being his puppet."

"I am _not_ his puppet-"

"Yes you are, Harumi!" Lloyd yelled at her, quite frustrated. "You may think _you_ control _him_ , but it's the other way around! He will not let someone be in higher position than him. I of all people should know that. And like I said before, he _will_ get rid of you when he pleases. And people like Mr. E and Ultra Violet may follow. He will only keep those who are the most powerful in his roster. And without him, you have no power."

Harumi groaned, staring down at his feet and hers. "I didn't want it to be true…"

"It is, Harumi. But it doesn't have to be like this. You can join us, join _me._ Every volunteer can help our little rebellion. I can help you to redeem yourself, to become a better person. You have hurt me and my friends in the past, but I believe that deep down is that little girl who was happy. Before her parents died, back when everything was sunshine and bubbles. When she knew how to _love,_ knew how to be _happy._ "

"Hmm…I'll think about it," Harumi purred, bringing her face closer to his. "But first, you've got something on your lip."

"What?" Lloyd asked, moving his hand to his face. "I don't feel anyth-*oof*!"

Lloyd was cut off instantly as Harumi pushed his arm away, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. Lloyd couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't think…but his reflexes finally kicked in. He kissed Harumi back, stroking his right hand through her long white hair. Her arms wrapped tighter around his neck, and Lloyd couldn't help but grab her by the waist as they stood there in the light rain.

Far from their knowledge, they were currently being watched as the three gang leaders peeked around the corner. Mr. E, as usual, stood there staring off into the distance, and Killow scratched his head. "The Quiet One found the Green Ninja! Should we help?"

"No, Killow," Ultra Violet shook her head, watching as the two lovestruck teenagers kissed outside the shop. "You don't interrupt a girl when she's having her fun. The Quiet One has this under control, believe me."

"But-"

"Shut it, Killow!" Ultra Violet whispered as the three gang leaders walked off towards their bikes.

Lloyd muttered between Harumi's kisses, "I heard bikes in front of the shop. Should I be concerned?"

"No, sweetheart," Harumi purred, pausing to look into his eyes. "Right now, all you need to do is focus on _us._ " She smirked as she pressed a kiss against his lips once more, until Lloyd shook his head and pulled away.

"Harumi, we shouldn't be doing this…" Lloyd started, shaking his head slowly. "As far as anyone's concerned, we're enemies. We're on different sides."

"But as far as _I'm_ concerned, none of that matters right now," Harumi once more held Lloyd closer to her, moving in closer for another kiss.

"What if my team were to see us? What if _anyone_ were to see us? Harumi, this is beyond wrong for us to be within 10 feet of each other, let alone _making out._ "

"Making out?" Harumi laughed. "Oh, Lloyd, we were just getting started. That wasn't even close to making out."

"And that's as close as it's getting," Lloyd stubbornly decided, staring her down once more. "We may… _like_ each other," he struggled with the word, "but I refuse to be doing this with the enemy."

"Shut up and kiss me," Harumi groaned, pressing her lips against Lloyd's once more. And once more, she had the blonde wrapped around her finger. They continued like that for what seemed like forever, until Lloyd pulled away again.

"Harumi…"

"Lloyd…" She purred, raising a brow. "Come on…"

"Harumi, just stop it. I…I thought maybe I could save you like I did for my father. I thought maybe you could be turned back to the light. Maybe I was wrong…" He turned away, but Harumi grabbed his wrist, holding him back.

"Maybe you're not," Harumi whispered, causing Lloyd's eyes to widen. "Like I said, I'll be thinking about your request. But for now, I guess we'll be stuck playing this giant chess game we've gotten ourselves into, huh?" She smiled at the Green Ninja, and he found himself smiling back. "In the real world, when we're around other people, we may be sworn enemies but…here, we've got something special."

Lloyd was too shocked and too flustered to speak, so he just nodded. No matter how stupid _that_ must have looked.

"What should we call it then?" Harumi purred, looking deep in thought, yet teasing. "Certainly not boyfriend and girlfriend yet, so maybe 'enemies with benefits'?" She laughed, and Lloyd blushed. "Just teasing you, Lloyd. Oh, and also, tell Nya I said hi."

Lloyd rose a brow, but was stopped short as Harumi placed one last kiss on his lips. He opened his eyes, and she was gone. Completely gone.

 _Was it a dream?_

 _Was it a vision?_

But deep down, Lloyd knew – it was reality. Too real to even be understood.

As he turned to leave, he heard footsteps behind him, and his eyes widened as he realized who it must have been.

"Lloyd _Montgomery_ Garmadon!" Nya shouted, rushing up to him. "I can't even _believe w_ hat I just saw! Do you have any _idea_ how d _angerous_ that girl is? She's a _killer,_ Lloyd! She's hurt you so much, how could you just _kiss_ her?" The Water Ninja shouted in Lloyd's face, yet sorrow and worry was painfully instilled in her eyes.

Lloyd then noticed Skylor and PIXAL standing behind Nya, but Misako wasn't there. _Thank the First Spinjitzu Master…_

Skylor looked less angry, and much more concerned, and it showed violently in her face. And PIXAL…she just stood there next to the Orange Ninja, with her head slightly cocked to an angle, confusion quite evident in her face.

"I'm sorry, Nya…" Lloyd whispered, staring at the ground. "I can explain…"

"You can't explain a _nything,_ Lloyd!" Nya screamed, looking about ready to tear her own hair out. "She _killed_ Jay! She killed Kai! She killed all of them! And you think s _he's w_ orthy of your affection?"

"Maybe not, but…"

"But _what?"_ Nya groaned. "Have you been seeing her often? Have you been sneaking out every night so you can kiss with your girlfriend in the street?!"

"Yes, I've been sneaking out, but this is the first time I've been even talking with her since Garmadon took over. I've been sneaking out so I can try and find some valuable supplies for the rebellion, Nya…"

" _Rebellion?_ " Nya yelled. "You think _we_ can just waltz up to Garmadon's fortress and defeat him? I'm the only one of us left with powers! You've _lost_ yours, and Skylor doesn't have hers anymore either from what I can tell!"

"Actually-" Skylor started.

"Not now, Skylor," Nya huffed, not turning her eyes from Lloyd. "We don't even stand a chance! And you're willing to risk our lives to stop _your_ father?"

Lloyd shook his head. "No, I'm expecting _you_ to risk your own lives to stop all of this. Look, what happened to that Nya who would never give something like this a second thought?"

"That part of me died, Lloyd!" Nya yelled. "It died when I lost Jay! When I lost my own brother! And apparently you've lost a part of yourself too, because you had the nerve to _kiss_ that _witch_ after everything she's done! Why do you always have to be so _forgiving?_ I don't know what fantasy land you're living in, but Harumi is _beyond_ saving at this point! She deserves to _die!_ " Nya angrily stomped her foot against the ground, using her powers to throw a blast of water at a pair of birds sitting on a clothesline.

"Nya…"

"Just-!" Nya stopped with an angry huff, walking away in the direction of the apartment.

Lloyd sighed, staring down at the ground once more, before he felt a gloved hand graze his shoulder. He looked up, meeting the sorrowful blue eyes of Skylor. She had a sad smile on her face as she gave him a hug, and even PIXAL smiled sweetly a few feet from the two.

"It's okay, Lloyd," Skylor sighed. "Nya has just…been through a lot lately. We all experience loss in our own ways. She just chose to let it out in anger. And what she saw here tonight didn't exactly help her temper. But I completely understand what you're going through with Harumi. I was in the same position as she was, and she _does_ still have a chance if she chooses to take it. I mean, just look where I am now. I'm now a ninja, fighting in this small rebellion against Lord Garmadon. And just a few years ago I was working for that horrible crime lord who I once called 'Dad'. It's okay to feel like you want to bring her back to the light."

"Thanks Sky…to be honest, I was worried that you'd be mad at me too."

"Because of Kai?" Skylor queried, and Lloyd nodded in response. "Lloyd, it's not your fault that they all died, and neither is it Harumi's. Or at least, not completely her fault. I loved Kai, but I know I'll see him again one day. Maybe not in this world, but it really doesn't matter. He would have wanted all of us to move on, I'm sure of it."

"So would have all of them. Jay, Zane, Cole, Wu…" Lloyd trailed off. "They would have wanted us to rebel."

"And that's exactly why we are going to do so," PIXAL added with a smile. "We still have allies outside of Ninjago City, people who can help our cause."

"As long as the people have faith in us, that spark of hope can never be diminished," Skylor laughed, hugging both Lloyd and PIXAL closer. "I have a _great_ feeling about all this, guys. In fact, I don't think I've been more confident in my entire life. But for now, we need to get some sleep."

"Agreed," both Lloyd and PIXAL spoke in unison.

As the three heroes walked off down the street, arm in arm, their spirits were filled with hope and light. They headed back into the apartment to rest, but in the morning, the ninja would be back in action.

For good.

Far above the lower levels of New Ninjago City, Lord Garmadon angrily folded his four arms as Harumi entered the room. "Quiet One, where were you?"

"I was only in the city encouraging some of the people to submit to your rule, my emperor," Harumi spoke softly.

"Really?" Garmadon roared, standing up out of his throne. "Because that's not what Mr. E tells me. He says you were having interactions with my _son._ Why didn't you bring him in?"

Harumi froze, her eyes wide. "H-he resisted me, my emperor. I tried seducing him, possibly softening him to the point that I could capture him. But he escaped."

"Oh, I don't think you had the intention of _capturing_ him at all," Garmadon boomed, marching over to the girl, making her feel small in the presence of his large build. "You _like_ Lloyd. You were only with him so you could see if he returns your feelings. Gah, you kids are all the same, I _swear._ " Garmadon rolled his blood red eyes, and Harumi let out a nervous laugh.

"Forgive me, my emperor, it will not happen again. Next time I see him, I will capture him and bring him to you."

Garmadon grabbed Harumi by her neck, pushing her body against the large window of his fortress. "Look out there at Ninjago, foolish girl. Millions of terrified, hope-lost souls who have nothing. I don't need you, and I never did. Go find someone out there who is interested in giving you a second chance, I dare you." With that he threw her through the window, the glass shattering all around as Harumi's small figure crashed through, before hitting the ground outside.

Harumi coughed up a bit of blood, too terrified and hurt to get up. She had fallen on one of the porches, and with luck, there were no guards on it. She managed to climb down the stone walls to the ground, and began limping her way into the city, trying her best not to think about how terrible her fate will be there.

* * *

 **So…yeah.**

 **This is most likely the darkest, longest thing I've written in a long time. And I'll probably be continuing it. This may develop into a two-shot, maybe even longer. Updates won't be too frequent, but if I do end up continuing this, additional chapters will most likely be as long as this, maybe longer. Of course, my primary focus will be on my two main fics, but I will try my best to give this one fair treatment. Let me know what you guys thought of this, and if you'd be interested in seeing me continue it in the future!**

 **Until next time,**

 **~EB**


	2. Part 2

Harumi found herself truly deep in solemn thought as she walked slowly and silently through New Ninjago City, trying her best to hide the limp. Among all of her swirling, moving thoughts, one stood out the most in total importance to her.

 _I need new clothes._

Harumi had already cleaned off all of the red facepaint she once wore over her eyes when she used to wear the mantle of the Quiet One. But now, that role seemed to be extinct since Garmadon threw her out like garbage. She had no doubt that most people wouldn't recognize her without it, even though few people had even seen her before in general. Her time in the Royal Palace had shut her out from the world for years, and even then, hardly anyone had seen her without her princess makeup. Her long white hair flowed freely past her shoulders, and the lack of paint on her face made her look more less like a former dark mastermind and more like a normal city girl. But the clothes were still a worrying matter.

She was able to find a clothes store in the lower levels, and it actually looked decent considering the area was normally sketchy. Unfortunately, her current clothes were a dead giveaway, and to be honest if no one had recognized her at this point, the people inside the shop certainly would.

Harumi looked around the quiet, almost deserted streets, which were dimly lit by street lights in the night sky. Her eyes caught a figure crouched on the ground by a seemingly rundown building, covered in a cloak. Harumi groaned before walking quietly over to the man, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. "Hello? Sir?"

The man looked up at her, and Harumi could tell by how horrible he looked that he hadn't shaved nor bathed in a long time. _Must be homeless,_ Harumi thought to herself.

"What do you want?" The man demanded quite groggily, holding tighter to a bottle in his hands that Harumi quickly recognized as an alcoholic beverage that was quite popular in the higher levels. "Can't you see I'm having a guest with me tonight?"

"Um…" Harumi trailed off, subconsciously playing with a white hair, twirling it around her finger. "Yeah, I'm sure your 'guest' is very enjoyable company. Uh, could I maybe…have your cloak?" _Ugh,_ Harumi mentally groaned. _I feel kinda bad for asking this…_

"What?" The man looked puzzled, looking from his cloak and back to the white-haired girl in front of him. "My cloak? Well, it depends on what you're willing to trade, darlin'." He grinned.

Harumi rolled her eyes, pulling out an object from her pocket: one of the 'ration packs' that had been made available to her by Garmadon. Basically some frozen bread and vegetables that could barely be considered a single serving. Anyways, it was still better than nothing. "Here, you want this? There's food in it. You may need to heat it up though…"

The man jumped up and took the packet, nodding vigorously. "Oh, no worries, no worries! I'll just…I'll just make a campfire!" He then took off his cloak, handing it to Harumi.

Harumi let out a nervous chuckle, hesitantly taking the clothing. "Um…thanks." She then quickly rushed over to the clothes store, hoping to get as far from the man as possible. She passed through the doors, and was instantly greeted with a young woman, no doubt in her mid twenties.

"Well hello, hon," the lady smiled widely, walking over to her. "I'm Lynn. Can I help you with anything here?"

"Um…" Harumi hesitated, a bit taken back by Lynn's friendliness. "Yeah…I need some clothes."

"Well of course, silly!" Lynn laughed, grabbing Harumi's arm and leading her over to the many racks of clothing that filled the store. "You came to the clothing store, what else would you want? Ranch _dressing_?" She laughed. "Yeah, sorry. That was a horrible joke. Let's see what we have in back here, hon. I bet we can find your color."

"My color?" Harumi asked. "Like…what color suits me best?"

"Why, of course, my dear! Every girl wears each color differently, and it's my job to find the one that you wear best. Let's see, what kind of clothing you going out of here with? Something fancy? Maybe just a casual t-shirt and jeans? Come on, hon, I need details!"

"Uh, I just need something to make me look…normal." Harumi instantly regretted her words, that most likely sounded extremely strange and suspicious. "Well…you know, like a normal teenage girl. Am I…making sense?"

"Ah, of course, darling. Now, one thing you need to know about 'blending in' with the rest of the girls, you still need to give it your own personal flare. Something added on, something special…Now, I think we have a nice white tank top here…and some jeans too. Do you like them with the ripped look, or are you fine with a cleaner look?"

"Ripped?" Harumi asked, extremely puzzled. "Why would you _rip_ a perfectly good pair of jeans?"

Lynn sighed, taking the normal pair off the rack. "Okay, well I guess we aren't going with ripped jeans. Alright, take these to the changing room and try 'em on, hon. You'll love it, trust me."

"Okay," Harumi sighed, taking the clothes to the room.

A few minutes later, she came out in the tank top and jeans, throwing the cloak in a pile on the floor with her Quiet One robes. She shrugged at Lynn as she approached her, but she had to admit that she liked the clothes. _Much_ more comfortable than what she normally wore.

"Perfect!" Lynn laughed as her hands once again went to work at the clothing rack, looking for something else. "Now, you'll need _this._ " The older woman held up a forest green jacket, causing Harumi to raise a brow. "Now _this_ is what I was talking about, darling. Your color!" Lynn handed the jacket to Harumi, gesturing for the younger girl to try it on. "It goes perfectly with your hair and your eyes! It's like snow-capped trees in the winter. I love it!"

Harumi tried the jacket on, slipping it on over her tank top. _Green…_ The one color it seemed she could never get away from. And she had to admit…she _did_ look good in it. "It fits nicely…and I love the color, Lynn. I gotta admit it."

"Then you're all set, hon!" Lynn said excitedly. "Just bring 'em over to the desk and we can get those clothes paid for." She led Harumi to the desk near the entrance, and Harumi pulled out a bit of money from the pockets of her Quiet One outfit. Placing the money on the table, she nodded her thanks to Lynn and left the store dressed in her new clothes.

It was nearly 4:00 in the morning now, and the sun would be up eventually. Harumi groaned, knowing that she'd need to find somewhere to hang for a while. There was always that request from Lloyd…

But she couldn't. Wouldn't. At least, not yet. She still was trying to make sense of things at this point, and rushing into decisions like that would be unwise. Plus, it was hard to believe that anyone but Lloyd would be willing to share a place with her. And that included Lloyd's team. She'd have to get her own place for a while.

That would most certainly also require getting a job, which luckily wasn't too hard in the lower levels. Now that she thought about it, there w _as_ a sign displaying 'help wanted' at that diner down the street…but was that really a good idea? This place was sketchy enough, and the diner was most likely no exception. But it was better than working at a tattoo parlor or something…

And so Harumi began her wait for the diner to open in the morning so she could see about the owner giving her a job.

* * *

Lloyd, Skylor, Nya, and PIXAL all walked briskly through the city, eventually coming across an apartment building in the middle of the higher levels. Skylor went to ring the doorbell, but hesitated. "Does Ronin of all people _really_ own this place?" She asked doubtingly. "Such a nice, expensive apartment in the higher levels?"

"Ronin is a thief, Skylor," Lloyd answered, ringing the doorbell instead. "I usually don't bother asking that question at this point."

After a few moments, Ronin opened the door, looking the four heroes over before a smug grin fell across his face. "Oh, look who it is. Come on in, kiddos. I'm making breakfast." He led them inside and shut the door behind them.

Nya looked around the interior of Ronin's apartment, feeling a light smirk play at her lips. "Wow, this is actually a pretty nice place you've got here, Ronin. I'm not even gonna ask how you could afford it, because it's quite obvious how, but still…nice."

"Well thanks, sweetheart," Ronin winked at the raven-haired ninja, leading her to the kitchen and gesturing for the others to follow. "You interested in renting the room upstairs?"

"Um…no thanks," Nya rolled her eyes. "Sharing a house with you would be like a horror movie."

"Oh please, it ain't all that bad when you consider the benefits," Ronin winked once more.

"WELL THEN," Lloyd butted in, ending Ronin's annoying flirtations. "We came here for a reason, Ronin."

"And I know exactly what it is. Your friends were killed and your dad took over Ninjago, so you need me to help you save the day like you always do, blah blah blah." Ronin shrugged. "Not this time, pal. I only come to play when there's good business, and your crazy father is _not_ good business."

"Please, Ronin," PIXAL insisted. "You are one of our only allies that hasn't already been imprisoned by Garmadon. You may be one of Ninjago's last protectors."

"Yeah, and Garmadon already blew up my shop in Stiix so he could imprison me, but I barely escaped. _Barely._ The dude is like super mega invincible now, and none of us stand a chance!" Ronin explained, turning back to the toaster on the counter. "Now if you don't want any breakfast, you may as well leave."

"So you're just _giving up_?" Nya yelled at him angrily, but then stopped. "Wow. I am _very_ hypocritical right now. Either way, I'm over it now, and you should be too! Don't you even _want_ to see Garmadon's rule end?"

"Yeah I do, but it's gonna take a miracle. And that's a lot more than what we've all got here. A powerless Green Ninja, a robot lady, a noodle chef, and a girl with some anger problems. And of course me as well, but I already saw firsthand what odds I have against Garmadon. Again I say, it's never gonna work! A suicide run!"

"Suicide run or not, we have to do _something_ ," Lloyd persisted. "You may not be a ninja, but as a citizen, you naturally love your home, right? Ninjago is an amazing place filled with amazing people, and don't you want it to stay that way? With my father on the throne, Ninjago can never be that way again. That's why we have to put an end to this here and now. Before it's even more too late."

Ronin sighed, placing two fingers on the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "Fine. But I'm only doing this to get that creep off the throne and back where he belongs. The Departed Realm."

"Alright then," Skylor spoke with a smile. "Welcome to the crew, Ronin."

"Crew?" Ronin rose a brow.

"We call it the Wu Cru," Lloyd added.

"Wu Cru?" Ronin sputtered. "What a dumb name!"

* * *

"Table six, girl!" Rowan yelled at Harumi, shoving the dish into Harumi's hands. "And I'd better not see you slacking off again, or you're fired!"

"Yes sir," Harumi groaned, rolling her eyes as he walked away. She already hated her boss. He was lousy, selfish, rude, and power-hungry. What Harumi hated even more was that he reminded her of herself in so many aggravating ways. She _really_ hoped she was starting to change that.

Walking over to the table, Harumi set the dish down in front of the man seated there, and he nodded his thanks. Some of the people in the lower levels were really nice people who just weren't successful enough to live in the higher levels. So why couldn't her boss be one of those people?

Harumi's eyes scanned over the clock on the wall, sighing in relief that she only had a few more minutes before her shift was over. After serving a few more tables, she hung up her work apron and clocked out, heading out into the city. Cars went speeding by, and citizens all over travelled to and fro throughout the busy streets. Harumi pulled out her BorgPod and earbuds, shuffling through different playlists until she found the one she wanted. Her BorgPod was one of the few electronic devices she was allowed to have in the Royal Palace, and she was glad that she still had it on her.

As she walked down the street, she came across a skate park where several teenagers were busy doing tricks and joking around – something Harumi never did. She never had friends, never learned how to skate…nothing. Her whole childhood after losing her parents had never felt like one.

Harumi began feeling a deep hurt in the pit of her stomach as she thought of the Emperor and Empress…the people she killed. The people who had taken her in when she lost everything. The people who tried their best to give her the life she deserved, even despite the royal duties that came with it. Sure, she hadn't actually killed them herself, but the Sons of Garmadon had planted the bomb which killed them. And she had been in charge of them. Essentially, she still was responsible for the deaths of innocent, loving people.

What in Ninjago had she been thinking? How could she have fallen so far as to let her anger lead her to have people killed? How could she have resurrected such a horrible person and just handed him the throne? How could she have been so blind?

She officially admitted it. She hated herself.

And there was now no one who loved her. She didn't deserve their love anyways. What she did deserve was to take the place of all the lives she had taken, and let them live their lives. She should be the one in the Departed Realm.

As Harumi kept beating herself up over things, a voice called her over. "Hey you there! You wanna come over here and skate with us?"

Harumi identified the person as one of the teenagers in the skate park, looking right at her. He seemed to be about her age, maybe even older. He waved her over, and she hesitantly walked over.

"Hey there, I'm Tray," the kid said with a grin, extending a hand. She shook it with a fake smile on her face.

"Julie," Harumi spoke, quickly thinking of a name off the top of her head.

"Julie?" Tray asked. "What a cool name! You skate often?"

"Uh no, I never have." Harumi turned red, feeling stupid for walking into a skate park without knowing how to skate. "I never had someone to…y'know…show me how."

"Well then, today is your lucky day!" Tray exclaimed. "Here, you can use my skateboard. It's really easy, it just takes practice. Wanna help me teach her, boys?" He called to the other teenagers, who snickered along.

"Um…thanks?" Harumi spoke hesitantly, taking the skateboard. "So…what do I do first?"

"Here, you're standing on it wrong," Tray pointed out. She felt a shiver run down her spine as he placed a hand on her waist, positioning her differently. What really crossed the line was when he started running his hand through her white hair, and then moved in close to her ear to whisper, "You're a pretty girl, Julie…"

Harumi fell back, moving away from Tray. But he moved towards her, and so did his friends. They began putting their hands all over her, and held her tight so she couldn't escape.

"What are you doing alone in this big city, Julie?" Tray asked, leaning in close to her again. "I think you came looking for some company, is that right?" He began leaning in for a kiss, and Harumi did the first thing that came to mind.

A quick series of events followed, and in a matter of moments, Tray was jumping back, trying his best to ignore the pain that Harumi had just cost him where the sun don't shine. "You…you creep!" He growled, and the other teenagers began surrounding Harumi.

Harumi's reflexes kicked in, and she began doing the one thing that she truly enjoyed: fighting. She used a swift kick to knock three of the teenagers back, then she gave one of them a decent push, causing him to knock into a few more behind him. She gasped as she felt one of them grab her by the jacket, and she wiggled desperately to get out of his hold. She became a kicking, grunting mess by the time the teenagers had her once more held her down, and Tray had now recovered in front of her.

Her white hair in a mess, and her teeth gritted in an angry snarl, Harumi shook violently in an effort to free herself from their hold, to no avail. As Tray came closer, she kicked him in the face, causing a small tooth to fall to the ground. _That ain't good…_

"You know what? You're more trouble than you're worth!" Tray shouted, wiping a bit of blood from his nose. "Let's get out of here boys. Let her lie there and decay. She's worthless anyway." With that, he and his friends got on their skateboards and rolled away, leaving Harumi lying alone on the ground, attempting to catch her breath.

Her chest heaved with every heavy breath, and she tried her best to brush any stray hairs behind her ear. She knew that she must look pathetic lying there like this, but what was worse was that she _knew_ she was pathetic. The 'great and powerful' Quiet One had let herself be bullied by a bunch of street teens. My, how far she had fallen these past few days…

She heard sirens approaching, and bright lights coming nearer from the distance. _Garmadon's Fist…_ she decided to herself, managing to stand back up. _Must be a security regiment…if they see me, they might recognize me…_

Harumi quickly began running off in the other direction, maneuvering through traffic as she crossed the road, not having time to wait for the crossing sign. She slipped into an alleyway, much like the one she had encountered Lloyd in not long before.

She hugged her arms close to herself, shivering in the cold. Her jacket only did so much to keep her warm, and unfortunately the lower levels were known for being colder than the rest at times. Too bad her apartment had no heating…

She eventually came across said apartment, and entered inside, locking the door behind her. She collapsed on her bed, one of the only pieces of furniture in the apartment. She had a small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, but other than that, the apartment was pretty bare. She had few possessions, which probably meant less to worry about anyway. Not to mention she had few other pairs of clothes, or much food. Her job at the diner barely paid the rent, and food was already a large problem. She didn't even want to open the fridge, lest she be met with more disappointment.

It was funny, actually. At one point, being the wealthy princess of Ninjago, and now arguably one of the poorest people in the lower levels. She deserved it, she knew, but it still was a bit disheartening. She may need to work more than one job if she wanted to be able to feed herself everyday.

Suddenly, a knock on her door caused Harumi to groggily get up, walking over to the door to answer it. As she opened it, she was met with the face of a little girl, probably 8 years old or younger. She was holding a small box, and a sad smile was on her face. Harumi cleared her throat. "Um, hi there. Can I help you?"

The girl nodded her head, holding out the box. "I'm selling cookies. Would you like to buy some, miss?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but…I really don't have any extra money at the moment…"

"Oh, well that's okay. I can come back when you do have some money. Goodbye, miss!" The girl smiled, running away.

Harumi peeked out the doorway, watching the girl run off. "Um…okay?" After looking around, Harumi walked back into her apartment, closing the door once again.

It took a moment before Harumi heard another knock on her door, and she opened it to find the same girl again. "Hello miss. Sorry, I forgot to give this to you." The girl handed Harumi a piece of paper, and then ran away again with a smile.

Harumi looked down at the paper, reading the writing.

 _10 Sunset Avenue, New Ninjago City. Key is under doormat._

Harumi raised a brow, but she had a good feeling who had told the girl to give this to her. In fact, he was probably going to be expecting her. With a sigh, Harumi grabbed her jacket and keys, then locked up her apartment before leaving the building, once again rushing into the busy city.

She was able to hitch a ride on the back of one of the sky trams, making her way to the other side of the lower levels. As she came across Sunset Avenue, she hopped off, walking down the street until she came across the right building. She walked up the steps to the doorway, hesitating for a moment before ringing the doorbell.

A few moments went by, and no one came to the door. Harumi tapped her foot impatiently, hoping that this hadn't been a big goose chase. Suddenly, the door swung open, and a female android dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans greeted her, and Harumi recognized the android as PIXAL, the same android she had hacked back in her days as the Quiet One.

PIXAL smiled at Harumi, brushing one of her artificial silver hairs behind her ear. "Greetings, Harumi. Master Lloyd has been expecting you."

"Yeah…" Harumi sighed. "I know. Can I…come in?"

"Of course," PIXAL smiled sweetly, leading Harumi inside. "Would you like me to hang up your jacket on the coat rack for you?"

"Uh, no, I'll keep it on. Thanks." Harumi managed to smile back lightly, and then turned her attention to her surroundings. "Well, this is a cozy little place you've got here. Better than my place, at least."

"Yes, Master Lloyd mentioned that you recently began renting an apartment," PIXAL agreed casually. "But I can confirm that while your living space is substantial for one person, our current apartment is very 'cozy' as you say."

 _How the heck did Lloyd know I rented an apartment?_ Harumi wondered as PIXAL led her downstairs to the basement. The basement was much different than the rest of the place. Many computer monitors and weapon racks littered the walls, as well as several framed photos. Seated at one of the computers was Nya, who seemed to either not have noticed their guest yet or was simply ignoring her. Another girl was over by a water cooler pouring a drink, yet Harumi didn't recognize her. She was dressed in orange and had bright red hair. Even with her backed turned, Harumi could confirm that she never met the person in her life. _But where's Lloyd?_

"Friends!" PIXAL said cheerfully. "Our guest is here."

Nya shifted uncomfortably in the computer chair, but still did not take her eyes off of the screen. "Yeah, that's great, Pix. Now if you'll _excuse_ me, I have lots of work to do."

"I apologize," the redhead spoke with a shrug. "She's just a bit…tense. I'm Skylor, by the way," Skylor extended a hand, and Harumi shook it gratefully.

"Harumi."

"Oh, I know," Skylor laughed. "You're quite popular around here."

"I'm guessing for not so nice reasons?" Harumi grudgingly sighed.

"Eh, it's kind of a mix sometimes. Whenever Nya starts ranting on about all the crimes you committed, Lloyd stands up for you every…single…time." She giggled. "It's quite cute how fond he is of you. Sure, he has to admit that what you did was wrong but…he's always been a very forgiving person. I was in the same position you're in right now once." Harumi rose a brow, asking for Skylor to continue. "My father is Master Chen. I'm sure you know about all the terrible things he did. I worked for him, and spied on the ninja during the Tournament of Elements. Eventually, they helped me see the truth about my father and, well…they forgave me. And I'm willing to do the same for you."

Harumi was surprised at how friendly and caring this girl was. They had just met a minute ago, and she was already eager to forgive her. Were people like this even _real?_ "Uh…thanks, Skylor. I appreciate it."

"Of course you do!" Skylor laughed. "Now, come sit down and I'll get you some noodles. When was the last time you ate?"

Harumi sighed. "I don't even remember."

"That bad, huh?" Skylor frowned, looking back at the white-haired girl. "Well, I'll be sure to give you a nice big helping of noodles then. And some juice. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," Harumi smiled lightly, already starting to like this friendly girl. She sat down at the table, drumming her thumbs. "So…where's Lloyd?"

"Oh, he's out on patrol again," Skylor chuckled, pouring some juice into a large cup. "Even now, he likes to get out there and just…search."

"For what?"

"I don't think even he knows," Skylor shrugged, setting the plate of noodles and the cup down in front of the white-haired girl. Then she sat down as well, directly across from Harumi. "He does this every night, just goes out to the city and enjoys the company of the night. Just looking around, I guess. He and Ronin were able to salvage some working vehicles this morning."

Harumi nearly choked on her noodles, dropping her chopsticks.

"Are you alright, Harumi?" PIXAL asked in a concerned tone. "Maybe you should take smaller bites…"

"No, no, it's just…" Harumi stared down into her bowl, deep in thought. "Ronin…I've met him before. I was sent to arrest him a few weeks ago, but…he escaped."

"Sounds like Ronin," Skylor rolled her eyes. "And don't worry about it. I'm sure even Ronin can find it in his heart to forgive ya. Or at least, not to kill ya."

"And what about Nya?" Harumi hated to ask, looking over at the raven-haired ninja, who was still sat at the computer. "From what I can tell, she has no desire to forgive me, let alone have me in her home. I was partly responsible for the deaths of her brother and boyfriend, not to mention Cole, Zane, and Wu…she had every right to want to kill me on the spot."

"But she _won't,_ " Skylor assured the girl. "Deep down in her heart, that's just not who she is. She'll just have to move on like the rest of us. And even if she does try anything, me and Pix have your back. Right, PIXAL?"

PIXAL nodded. "Of course. Having a new roommate will be exciting."

"Roommate?" Harumi rose a brow. "You mean-"

"Of course you're _staying_ , silly!" Skylor laughed, placing a hand on Harumi's. "Unless you wanna stay in your tiny apartment alone, you're most certainly welcome to stay here."

"I don't want to impose…" Harumi trailed off.

"Harumi," Skylor spoke softly. "We _want_ for you to stay with us. For better or for worse, you have no one else to turn to. You're far too young to be in this big world alone. We all are. And that's why we stick together."

"Please, Harumi," PIXAL went on. "We can always use one more. We've been talking about it with Master Lloyd, and we all think this is the best for you. He is quite certain that you want to change. And we want to help you."

Harumi stared down at her bowl for a few moments before nodding her head. "Alright. I'll take you up on that offer. Beats working at that crummy diner anyways."

"Are you seriously okay with this?" Nya's angry voice caused the three other girls to freeze. "She _killed_ the others! You're just gonna let her stay here?"

"No, Garmadon's colossus monster killed them. Which was under _Garmadon's_ control. And yes, we are letting her stay here," Skylor said stubbornly, turning her attention away from the Water Ninja. "Come on Harumi, you can bunk with me. I'll show you where our room is. Pix, can you put away the dishes on the table?"

PIXAL nodded, getting to work.

Skylor led Harumi back upstairs and through a hallway past several bedrooms. Eventually they came to fourth room down, and Skylor led the white-haired girl inside. She pointed to the bottom bunk and smiled at Harumi. "You can take that spot, and I'll take top bunk, okay? And it's getting late, so you may as well get dressed for bed. Here, you can wear one of my nightgowns. Use whatever you want that's in my clothes drawers, alright? Make yourself comfortable."

Harumi gave an awkward smile. "You sure?"

"Of course!" Skylor laughed. "Our home is your home, Harumi. Don't ever forget that."

"Alright," Harumi laughed back, taking the clothes to the restroom to change into. As she neared the doorway, Skylor called her once more.

"Hey, Harumi?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm really going to enjoy having you here." Skylor's words were kind and genuine, and hit Harumi hard with so many emotions. How the heck was she so nice?

"Yeah, I think I'll enjoy being here too."

* * *

 **Well, that was part 2. And no, it doesn't end here xD**

 **I'm surprised how fast I got this part out, especially since I've been busy recently. But I have seriously become obsessed with continuing this story, so I guess that stuff is happening to me again xD**

 **Can't promise when the next update will be, but hopefully it'll be soon. I have exams coming up this week, so I may not have a ton of time. I'll still try my best tho!**

 **Until next time,**

 **~EB**


	3. Part 3

Lloyd swung the door open of the apartment, struggling to reach the light switch. "Hey, girls, we're home!" The blonde scratched his head in confusion as Ronin entered in behind him.

"Lloyd, where the heck did your friends go?" Ronin laughed, setting his hands on his hips. "I mean, my _wife_ doesn't disappear on me as often as your friends do."

"You're married, Ronin?" Lloyd asked doubtingly.

"No. But she can't disappear from me if I don't have one. Logic," he pointed to his head and nodded to Lloyd, who just rolled his eyes and walked further into the apartment. "So," Ronin continued. "You said you were having a guest over. The white-haired chick, right?"

"Yeah, Ronin. Her," Lloyd walked over to the bedrooms, looking around. "I guess everyone's asleep."

"Even the Quiet One?" Ronin chuckled. "She's made herself right at home, hasn't she?"

Lloyd glared at Ronin, shaking his head. "Her _name_ is Harumi, Ronin. Just a hint of advice, but _never_ bring up that Quiet One stuff again, especially around her. We're trying to help her get past this."

"I still don't see why you're even giving her another chance," Ronin grumbled. "I mean, I've always known you to be a forgiving person, but wasn't she partly responsible for the death of your friends?"

"No, that was my father's doing. But she still feels responsible, so don't pester her about it."

"Lloyd…" Ronin sighed.

"What?" Lloyd turned to the older man, waiting to hear what he had to say now.

"You like this girl. I can tell, Lloyd. I just want you to know that if you're only doing this because you are fond of her-"

"I'm not," Lloyd stated firmly, his eyes narrow. "Look, back when I was a young kid, I was nothing but trouble. I wanted to be just like my father. The lord, not the sensei. I did a bunch of horrible things. I released the Serpentine, and you know how much of a mess _that_ was. But the guys…they forgave me. They took me in, gave me a home. You see, Harumi is in the exact same situation I was in. And I don't want her to end up how I could have turned out if no one had tried to help _me._ I need to be that help for her."

"Alright," Ronin put up his hands defensively. "You win, man. I just hope you know what you're doing. You know, having probably the most dangerous woman in Ninjago sleeping in your apartment? It would give me the jeebies."

Lloyd shrugged. "Well, if I know Skylor, she most definitely invited Harumi to come bunk in her room. That's just how she is. Certainly not Nya, and PIXAL's room isn't exactly the best atmosphere for Harumi."

"Then I guess we'll have to find out," Ronin chuckled, his hand moving the doorknob of Skylor's room.

"Ronin!" Lloyd dug his fingers stressfully through his hair. "What are you _doing_?"

"You said Harumi is probably in that room, and I'm finding out!"

"You don't just walk into a girl's bedroom!" Lloyd groaned.

"Says the guy who peeked into Harumi's dressing room in the Royal Palace!" Ronin smiled smugly, folding his arms.

Lloyd turned bright red at the mention of his little incident a few weeks before. "Fair enough…but still, that's a really stupid idea and- RONIN!"

It was too late as Ronin turned the doorknob and pushed the wooden door open, walking into the dark room. Lloyd watched in horror as the older man just casually walked in, and the blonde groaned, following after.

"Ronin, you need to get out of here! This is an invasion of privacy!" Lloyd whispered through his teeth.

"Look at them, they're asleep!" Ronin whispered back. "They won't even know! No harm done! I'm just gonna take a quick peek at the bunk beds!" With that, he tiptoed over to said beds, and hoisted himself up so he could see over into the top bunk. "Redhead is asleep in the top bunk, which means…" He peeked back down at the bottom bunk. "Snowflake is asleep in the bottom." He grinned back at Lloyd. "Guess you were right, Lloyd."

"Ronin, you are literally the worst," Lloyd groaned as he facepalmed on the way out of the bedroom, pulling Ronin along. He took one last look at Harumi's peaceful form asleep in the bed before shutting the door.

* * *

As the sun came out, the rays of light danced across Harumi's face, calling her awake. Her jade eyes slowly opened, and she let out a light yawn, stretching her arms over her head as she arched her back. _Surprisingly, that was the first peaceful night of sleep I've had in a while,_ she thought to herself. After she was done stretching, she managed to get out of bed and into a standing position. She tiptoed over to the dresser as to not wake Skylor up, and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes. Closing the door of the bedroom quietly behind her, Harumi exited the bedroom and walked over to the bathroom to change.

After a few minutes, she emerged clothed in another tank top and jeans, and was greeted with the smiling face of PIXAL, who must have just exited her room.

"Good morning, Harumi," the android spoke cheerfully, nodding to her. "I detect that you slept well last night?"

"Indeed I did, PIXAL," Harumi answered, patting her on the back before walking into the kitchen. "How about you? Or do you not sleep? Do you just...turn off until morning?"

PIXAL shook her head. "No, I have a sleep mode, but I have not used it in a few weeks. Ever since Garmadon took over, I like to stay awake and alert in the case of an attack."

"Doesn't that ever, like, wear out your battery?" Harumi questioned, grabbing a carton of orange juice from the fridge.

"No," PIXAL spoke simply. "A few years ago, when I first met the ninja, and I was still fairly fresh off the factory line, I was deactivated in a certain case of events. I would have never turned back online had Zane not given me half of his power source." PIXAL opened a certain panel in her chest, giving Harumi a view of a half-circle, glowing blue object that had several wires attached to it. "It is a very unique piece of technology, and even Zane himself never understood how unlimited energy could be possible. His father, Dr. Julien, built him with it, but he has long since passed away, and so the secrets of Zane's power source may never be revealed. Ever since Zane gave me half his power source, I have never needed to recharge my energy cells. I owe him a lot…" PIXAL looked sadly down at the floor, causing Harumi to be practically stabbed through the heart.

"Oh, PIXAL, I'm so sorry…" Harumi whispered, staring down at the floor as well. "If it weren't for me, he'd still be here…"

"It wasn't your fault, Harumi."

"Yes it was!" Harumi yelled, tears threatening to fall. "I held Lloyd back from getting on the Bounty. I made him watch helplessly as his family was crushed. If I hadn't, maybe he could have stopped the Collosus before it destroyed them…"

"No, if you had not held Lloyd back, he would have gotten on the Bounty and been killed as well. Whether you intended it or not, you saved Lloyd's life." PIXAL assured the girl.

"Whatever," Harumi huffed, slumping her shoulders. "I still feel bad. Plus, I hacked you."

"Hacking is a crime I have already forgiven you for," PIXAL assured the girl, beginning to set the bowls and cereal on the dining room table. "As Ronin would say, 'no harm done.'"

"Speaking of which, did he and Lloyd ever get back?" Harumi yawned. "If they did, it must have been really late."

"Precisely. They arrived back at the apartment at 3:27 this morning, which would explain why they are still asleep." PIXAL added.

"Lloyd? Asleep this long?" Skylor laughed, making her appearance in the room. "Ever since the guy was granted rank of Master, he always wakes up at sunrise. You know, for sunrise exercise or whatever."

"I _do_ sleep sometimes, y'know," Lloyd's calm and strong voice caught Harumi's ears in an instant, and she whipped around to see the blonde walk into the kitchen as well. Behind him was Ronin, who the white-haired girl was less than happy to see.

Lloyd's eyes caught Harumi's as he walked in, and her face completely fell as Lloyd's now quite brown eyes reminded her that he had lost his powers…due to her and Garmadon. Geez, w _hy_ did this guy not just _hate_ her already? While the color of his eyes had changed, the softness in them was the same as always, and he actually seemed _happy_ for once.

"Good morning, Master Lloyd," PIXAL spoke cheerily, folding her hands behind her back and stepping on her tiptoes as to make herself tall enough to make direct eye contact with the taller Green Ninja.

"Good morning, Pix," Lloyd laughed, pulling the android in for a big hug. Surprisingly to Harumi, PIXAL didn't seem the slightest bit surprised or taken back by this action, and she hugged him back.

 _Did everyone just wake up forgetting about how Ninjago is in its darkest hour or something?_ Harumi thought. _I never would have thought the ninja homestead would be so…bright and cheery._

"So," Lloyd started, grabbing a cup of coffee from Nya. "I guess I should get down to business on a few things here."

"Like how the Quiet One has suddenly become Skylor's roommate?" Nya scoffed, resting her chin on her hands, staring down at the counter.

"Yes, that…" Lloyd nodded slowly. "First of all, please don't be mad-"

"Why would we be _mad,_ Lloyd?" Skylor laughed, wrapping an arm around Harumi's neck. "We get _another_ girl in this apartment. No complaints here."

"Yes, cuz a _nother_ girl is definitely what we need," Ronin rolled his eyes. "May I remind you that the _guys_ are the ones seriously outnumbered here."

"Oh, hush up!" Skylor laughed.

"Besides, if our distress signal was sent successfully to the rest of our allies, we may have more guys moving in," PIXAL added with a shrug. She picked up the coffee mug and took a few sips, brushing a few of her artificial silver hairs behind her ear.

"I'm confused here," Harumi sighed. "You just…let people move in?"

"Ever since Garmadon took over, yeah," Skylor nodded. "We need to all stick together in this. Not saying that they all necessarily have to move into the apartment, but we all are trying to keep in touch in case we need help. If we're gonna build a rebellion, it's gonna have to start small. In that case, that would be this apartment."

"Anyways," Nya coughed, gesturing back to Lloyd. "You were saying about Harumi…?"

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Lloyd shifted awkwardly under the tension that was clearly radiating from the Water Ninja. "So…I know it's gonna be kinda hard for us to get settled to these changes, but…I want you all to give Harumi a chance. And if you can't, then you can pack your bags and leave."

"Because we might not wanna share an apartment with her?" Ronin asked.

"No. Because I pay the rent," Lloyd laughed. "You think _I'd_ hit the road?" This caused some laughter from Skylor and PIXAL, as well as Harumi. Even Nya had a smirk on her face. Ronin was just…Ronin.

"I feel sorry for all the things I did, and I don't even expect you to forgive me," Harumi spoke solemnly. "I don't deserve forgiveness. Or your kindness. But I promise, that I _will_ do what I can to help kick Garmadon off the throne and fix the mess I created."

"Thank you, Harumi," PIXAL nodded kindly. "Having one more warrior in our ranks will be quite useful."

"Not to mention she's worked with Garmadon as his right hand woman, so she probably can be of use in more than one area there," Skylor smiled, looking at Harumi. "Can't you?"

" _Ohhhh_ yeah," Harumi chuckled, leaning back a bit in her chair. "I know secret entrances and vaults in that fortress that Garmadon himself doesn't even know are there. I might know some ways to get past his guards, too."

"Jackpot!" Ronin exclaimed, patting a hard hand on Harumi's back with a laugh. "With this chick on our side, we can get in, take Garmadon out, and we'll be done. Right?"

"It's gonna be harder than that, Ronin," Nya rolled her eyes. "Garmadon has _powers_ now, and he's apparently reached his True Potential. We can't just 'take him out.'"

"Not to mention that I no longer have my own powers," Lloyd sighed, staring down at his hands, wishing more than anything that that familiar green spark would once again fuel through his balled fists.

"Like Mystake said," Nya started, "Your powers never made you the Green Ninja. It was knowing what to do- when to do it," Nya quoted the old tea lady.

"Yeah, but having the ability to summon giant spheres of destructive energy at will is still pretty useful," Ronin chuckled. "I'll have to load you up with some _real a_ mmo, Lloyd."

" _Guns?_ " Nya exclaimed.

"At this point, that may be our last option, Nya," Lloyd spoke quietly. "All Sixteen Realms are in jeopardy, and we need to give this everything we've got. My Spinjitzu and fighting skills only go so far."

"Actually shooting people with a gun, though…" Skylor shivered. "Having elemental powers, I never thought that would even be necessary."

"Once again, your powers only go so far," PIXAL sighed. "I've already upgraded my Samurai X Mech with heavy artillery in case of something like this."

"Then come downstairs with me, kiddos," Ronin walked off, gesturing for the others to follow. "And I'll load you up with some weaponry."

* * *

In the higher levels of the city, Garmadon's Dark Fortress was in total chaos. Without Harumi to oversee jobs and all the dirty work, the members of Garmadon's Fist were in total madness.

Emperor Garmadon paced grudgingly along inside his throne room, every few moments looking out the large glass window at his city. The hole that had been caused by Harumi's body slamming through the glass had recently been repaired, yet Garmadon felt ready to throw someone else through the window as well.

"My Emperor!" Killow hurried into the room, bowing in respect to his master. "We have learned from an anonymous source that some of the ninja's allies still live."

"The Elemental Masters," Garmadon hissed, staring out at the dark sky. "They will prove a large threat to my empire and my plans. I want a legion of my best warriors to scout out those rebels and kill on sight."

"Yes, my lord," Killow nodded. "And the Quiet One? We have asked about trying to locate her for you, but you have not given us an answer. Surely, she could also be a threat-"

"The Quiet One is a nobody!" Garmadon lashed out, causing the much larger man in front of him to stumble back. "Let her rot away in the city. She is of no concern to me now. Now, go get that legion ready. I want the dead bodies of all those Elemental Masters here before me."

"Yes, my lord…" Killow muttered, hurrying out of the throne room even faster than when he came.

* * *

Lloyd casually walked into the car dealership with his hands jammed in his pockets, followed closely by Harumi, PIXAL, and Skylor. He felt Skylor tug on his arm, and his eyes scanned over to where her finger was pointed to. Sitting there was just about the flashiest red sports car Lloyd had ever seen, with orange and yellow flames painted on the sides.

"You have an interesting taste, Sky," Lloyd chuckled, "but I came here for a vehicle that wouldn't draw attention to myself. The Nightcrawler is great and all, but I need something less obvious."

"Oh, I'm just having fun, Lloyd," Skylor sighed, yet that playful smirk would not go away. "Nya and Ronin even stayed back at the apartment to fix bugs in the computers in the basement. So you have me, Harumi, and Pix to give you some tips."

"On what? Which car will draw the attention of every person in the city?" Lloyd joked, "To be honest, you girls didn't even have to come with me. This is a one-man job."

"Well, we aren't men, are we?" Harumi hummed teasingly, causing Lloyd to smirk back.

"Poor Lloyd," Skylor messed up the Green Ninja's hair a bit. "He's the one teenage guy in an apartment full of teenage girls. Sticks out like a rock next to a couple of pillows."

"And then there's Ronin, who is w _ay_ too old to be called a teenager," Lloyd laughed. "What is he, forty?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Skylor chuckled. "Hey look at that one over there!" She grabbed Lloyd by his shirt roughly, dragging him over to another vehicle. "This one seems like it could fit the job, right? I mean, it's simple, compact, would perfectly fit in with everyone else's car…"

Lloyd looked down at the 2004 BorgAuto _Vison_. It was a passenger van, one that could easily seat around 12 people at once. Even with its large, heavy build, the van still had a bit of style to it, and the majority of the van was painted silver. Slowly, Lloyd nodded his head. "Yeah, I think it could work."

"2004?" Harumi asked hesitantly. "Don't you think it probably has high mileage on it, though?"

"It's all we can really afford," PIXAL shrugged, looking the vehicle over. "It has 12 seats, so it would easily fit all of us and several more allies that join us in the future. And it isn't the least bit eye-catching."

"Then we'll take it," Lloyd looked over to the salesman, who led the Green Ninja over to the office where he'd fill out all the paper work.

This left the three girls to wait patiently outside, feeling the cool spring breeze brush against their skin. "Ugh," Skylor groaned, zipping up her jacket. "I sure hope these disguises work for now. We can't risk our identities being exposed, especially since just about everyone in Ninjago would recognize Lloyd's face. He's basically a celebrity."

"Easy for you," PIXAL sighed, brushing off her own clothing. "Try being an android and fitting in while in a crowd. A baseball cap and sunglasses only goes so far."

"What about you, Harumi?" Skylor asked. "You haven't really done anything with your look, have you? You just have your white hair flowing freely, and your face is out in the open."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Harumi shrugged. "Garmadon won't bother even looking for me now. And anyone who's known me before has seen me with a mask on. Whether it was painted when I held the role of a princess, or when I was the Quiet One. Showing my true face in public is a rare thing for me."

"Well, don't feel restricted from owning that look, girl!" Skylor laughed. "I bet Lloyd really loves it when you have your hair down."

"L-Lloyd?" Harumi stuttered, feeling her face become flustered. "I-I mean…I never really wanted to _impress_ him or anything…"

" _Mmhmm,_ " Skylor smirked. "Face it, girl. You have a crush. A pretty big crush, from what I can tell. I mean, you two were making out in the alleyway a few days ago, so…" she winked at the girl teasingly.

"That…that was…" Harumi groaned, unable to find something to shoot back with.

"Look, Harumi," Skylor rolled her eyes, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Lloyd's pretty good-looking, right? You both are beautiful, single teenagers, right? He likes you. That's pretty obvious. And you like him. That's twice as obvious."

"Am I really _that_ obvious?"

"Yes!" Skylor laughed.

"Skylor, it'd be best for Harumi not to rush anything between her and Lloyd," PIXAL spoke plainly. "Teenage emotions are often quite uncontrollable when it comes to relationships and things of that sort."

" _Fiiiiiine,_ " Skylor huffed, blowing a stray strand of her bright red hair from her face. "But it's gonna happen, I'm calling it."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Skylor," Harumi sighed.

* * *

As the sun began to set over New Ninjago City, the silver van pulled into the parking garage behind the apartment complex, where Nya and Ronin were there waiting.

"So…" Ronin rose a brow. "You gave up the Nightcrawler for a van?"

Lloyd got out of the driver's seat, closing the door behind him. "Yes, and this will fit more of us than the Nightcrawler ever could have." He walked over to the front passenger side, opening the door for Harumi to get out. Both teens' faces grew a red tint as they smiled at each other, and Skylor smirked in the distance.

"Called it," Skylor whispered to PIXAL, who just shook her head with a smile and walked into the building.

Lloyd pulled out his keys and unlocked the apartment, allowing the others to all pile in. "Home sweet home," Lloyd teased, elbowing Nya. "I actually am getting used to calling this dump 'home.'"

"Still can't compare to the _Destiny's Bounty_ , but…it works," Nya shrugged, walking into the living room.

"Alright, you crazy kids, I say we have a movie night!" Skylor squealed like a little girl, jumping onto the couch, allowing PIXAL to sit next to her. "What should we watch tonight? Horror? Or maybe _romance_?" The redhead gave Harumi a teasing look, causing the white-haired girl to roll her eyes.

"We don't have too many DVDs in the apartment, unfortunately," Lloyd shrugged, digging through the small pile they had. "Some of Jay's old Starfarer movies are in here, and some other ones."

"What about this one?" Harumi pulled out a DVD, reading the title. "Bionicle. Huh, sounds kinda cool."

"Then put it in already," Ronin barked, plopping himself down in a chair, holding a bowl of popcorn in his hands. "I've heard good reviews for this."

The movie began, with Skylor and PIXAL seated at one couch, Ronin in his chair, Nya seated in another chair, and Lloyd and Harumi seated on the other couch. Harumi could have sworn Skylor had planned out this seating arrangement…

About halfway through the film, Skylor and Nya had completely wiped out, and Ronin sat half-lidded, ready to collapse at any moment. Lloyd slowly drifted off a few minutes later, and then Harumi. PIXAL, of course, stayed awake through the whole movie and watched all of the credits. Then she continued watching movies until morning.

* * *

Lloyd woke with a start to the sound of pounding on the door, followed by several voices. Hesitantly, Lloyd walked slowly over to the door, passing by the sleeping forms of the others. As he reached the door, he noticed PIXAL already there, and her face expressed much concern.

"Master Lloyd, it's your father's patrol bikers," She whispered, "What do we do?"

"Hide the girls," Lloyd hissed, rushing to the living room. Skylor, Nya, and Harumi each expressed the same groggy, sleepy confusion, but they understood what was going on and went to hide in the basement. Ronin reluctantly followed.

" _Open up_!" the gruff voices shouted from behind the door.

"Pix, go with them," Lloyd commanded quickly, gesturing inside the entrance to the basement.

The android shook her head sadly, glancing from Lloyd to the door, and back. "Master Lloyd, I'm afraid hiding won't do anything for me. Those bikers have scanners that will instantly recognize me. And powering off won't do anything to help. It's too late."

"Um…" Lloyd stressfully looked around, eventually grabbing an apron from the kitchen, and then tying it around PIXAL's waist. "There."

"Master Lloyd?" PIXAL asked, confused.

"Listen, I'm just a normal guy renting this apartment, and you're my droid maid. Got it?" Lloyd whispered, making his way over to the door.

PIXAL nodded, walking into the kitchen to make it seem as if she was working on cooking something.

Lloyd nervously messed up his blonde hair, slipped on his sunglasses, and put on his old fedora before opening the door. He was met with several snarling, grumpy faces, and each man was wearing the symbol of the Sons of Garmadon on their clothing. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"We're Emperor Garmadon's search unit," one of the men spoke gruffly, "We're going to need to search your apartment for ninja."

"Uh, sure!" Lloyd chuckled nervously, allowing the men inside. "But I assure you, the only people in my home are my droid maid and I."

"We'll make the final assumptions here, Mr…" the man trialed off, silently asking for the blonde's name.

"Uh, McCalister," Lloyd said quickly. "Sid McCalister."

"McCalister?" One of the men asked, turning to Lloyd. "Like Rufus McCalister, the comic book store guy?"

"Uh…yeah! Good ol' Uncle Rufus," Lloyd fibbed, giving a fake laugh. "You know him?"

"Oh yeah, of course!" The man exclaimed. "I used to go to his store all the time when I was younger. If there was ever a place in the world where you could get good comics, and great hospitality, it was Doomsday Comix."

"I hear ya," Lloyd nodded. "So, uh…any special reason you guys are searching for these ninja?"

"Oh, well why wouldn't we be looking for them? They're a huge threat to the Emperor's plans. We need to get rid of those rebels before they become a large enough force to cause trouble." Another man said, walking into the kitchen. "Ah, so this is your droid maid, huh?" He chuckled, looking PIXAL over. "I don't recognize the model."

"Yeah, she's a Borg model," Lloyd said.

"Borg model?" The man exclaimed. "Why, those are about the most expensive droids out there. And a maid version, none the less! Does she work well?"

"Extremely."

"Well, if you're ever interested in selling her sometime, I'd be interested." The man grinned. "She's pretty cute, for a droid."

PIXAL shifted slightly, already agitated at this man. _But I can't blow my cover…_

"Sorry, but I'm not selling her. She's far too valuable to me," Lloyd said, smiling at PIXAL. She smiled back, glad to have Lloyd as such a good friend. She knew those words weren't just part of the cover.

"Hey, McCalister!" One of the men growled, walking past the other bedrooms. "I thought you said you lived alone. There's sure a lot of things in these rooms. You could fit a large family in here."

"Oh yeah, that was where some of my friends used to stay. They couldn't pay the rent for a while, so…"

"Alright then," the man spoke, yet he seemed suspicious. "We've checked every room in this place. Your story checks out. No ninja. No rebels. Just a man and his droid maid. Let's go, boys."

As they left, one of the men grabbed the bowl of candy from the table, taking it with him. They shut the door behind them, leaving Lloyd and PIXAL alone.

"Jerks," PIXAL groaned, throwing the apron away and plopping herself down on the couch.

Lloyd gave an understanding smile, taking note that PIXAL had slowly begun acting more human than droid sometimes. She and Zane truly had been similar in many ways.

Turning his attention to the others, Lloyd unlocked the hidden door to the basement and let the others out, giving the all clear.

"Finally, they're gone," Skylor groaned. "Did it go well?"

"Eh, we survived," Lloyd chuckled, nudging PIXAL's arm a bit. "We're ninja, we've gone through much worse, let me tell ya." He noticed that PIXAL still seemed sad, and so did Nya.

"Hey, Pix, you alright?" The Water Ninja asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes…er, no…" PIXAL struggled with her words. "Just…don't worry about me. It's no big deal. Really." With that, PIXAL walked off to her room with her shoulders slumped and her eyes focused on the floor.

"Pix…" Skylor sighed. "Poor girl. I think Zane's death has been really getting to her. She just isn't the type to express it when she's sad or depressed about something."

"She may be an android, but she can still have feelings," Nya added sadly. "I think that's another thing Zane taught her. To feel."

Harumi was devastated by how much this all had affected the others, and that deep, painful feeling of guilt returned in the pit of her stomach. She walked off to her own room and shut the door, but she knew it wouldn't be long before Skylor came in to see what was going on. Harumi just couldn't take it. She was living in the apartment with the same people who were close friends with some of the people that Garmadon murdered. That she had helped Garmadon accomplish all these things. Zane, Cole, Jay, and Kai were all dead and she felt responsible.

Zane had been PIXAL's significant other from what Harumi had heard, and the same went for Jay being Nya's boyfriend, and Kai being Skylor's interest. Garmadon had killed that love inside of the girls. He had killed the men they loved.

And Harumi thought that kissing Lloyd after all this was proper.

What was w _rong_ with her?

* * *

 **Well, Part 3 came out a little later than I would have liked, but I hope the wait was worth it! Thanks again for being the greatest readers/reviewers EVER! :D**

 **As for the reviews:**

 **Crystal Cea: Thanks for your support, CC! It means a lot!**

 **AuroraRain18: I kinda thought of Claire's outfit while writing it, but I never imagined Harumi's outfit even close to that. And as for the chapters making your day "infinitely better", here ya go :D**

 **skylor chan: Thanks, and yes - Harumi has walked into a dangerous world. It's far from over.**

 **SkyDreamer12: That's just how I roll. I start a fic, update it super quickly, then I fall behind and don't update for almost 2 weeks xD**

 **MarbleBird: Why, thank you!**

 **Elcall: The scenes in Part 2 kinda have a time gap between em, and the reason Lloyd knew about her apartment will be explained later. Thanks for enjoying!**

 **Jdizzle: Your wish is yours to keep.**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **~EB**


	4. Part 4

**So, before this chapter begins, I wanna let y'all know about something in case you didn't already know.**

 **AuroraRain18 (seriously talented writer, go check her out) and I have started a collab story called "The Things We Search For." She's the one who uploads it on her account here, but we both work together to write it. Basically, I'm asking for all of my reviewers and readers to go check it out if you haven't already and possibly just support it ^.^** **We're just trying to get this story shot off like a rocket, and it can't happen without you guys' support. Thanks again for wasting about a minute of your day reading this short message xD**

* * *

Far off the coast of Ninjago is a place much darker – a source of pure evil and cold. The Dark Island had been cut off from the rest of the world for decades upon decades. Now in Ninjago's darkest hour, the people who were fortunate enough to escape from New Ninjago City ironically came to find refuge here. Hiding from the darkness…inside the darkness.

Neuro, Master of the Mind, watched over things as several more survivor boats came into shore, carrying hundreds more people to join the hiding. Using his powers over the mind, Neuro could feel the terror and fear in the hearts of the people. Hope was nearly diminished, and everyone knew it. Even Neuro shamed himself for thinking such ways – he was supposed to be smarter than that. Unless losing hope was the smart thing here. Even he didn't know anymore.

"Neuro, how are things coming?" Camille, Master of Form, approached the older Master, carrying a large rifle holstered on her back. "I see we have some more boats coming in."

"Yes, and these people seem even more fearful than the ones from before. Whatever they saw in New Ninjago City has surely scarred them," Neuro shook his head sadly, closing his tired eyes.

"We all saw it ourselves, Neuro. On TV, before we had to flee here," Camille sighed, brushing away a bit of her bright purple hair. "That monster took over the place, and he's surely taken over other cities and villages as well. I'm just glad he won't be able to find this place for a while."

"Yes," Neuro nodded. "The spell that we had that kind wizard place over this island – it will keep it hidden for a long time, if it continues to work properly."

"What about the other Masters?" Camille asked, her face showing concern for her friends.

"I…I don't know…"

Griffin Turner was running.

Sure, that was nothing new, but this time, he had a new burst of energy as he sped off like a speeding bullet…to avoid the actual bullets flying past him.

About a dozen of Garmadon's Fist had now entered the village, and had already shot down several innocents in order to get to Turner and his fellow Master, Bolobo. Each man equipped with heavy firepower, they were just a bit slow to keep up with Turner. Bolobo, however, was not nearly as fast his fast friend, and was forced to use his own powers just to hold them off.

Turner ran along the streets, trying his best to distract the Fist members and get any innocents out of the shooting gallery that they had started. Taking out one of the men with a swift punch, he grabbed the gun and managed to shoot down two more before being forced to drop the gun and run.

"Bolobo, where are you?" Turner shouted frantically, speeding around the village to find the Master of Nature. The sounds of gunfire had not ceased, and Turner's heart raced almost as fast as his two feet. As he rounded a corner, he finally acquired sight of his friend. Bolobo was standing there at the end of the street, helplessly manipulating the plant life around him to block off the gunfire and protect himself.

"I'm coming, pal!" Turner shouted, taking off once more. _I'm fast enough._

 _I'm fast enough._

 _I'm fast enough._

In a split second, things happened too fast for even Turner to understand. The Master of Speed pushed through a few of the men, sliding to a stop beside Bolobo. Gunshots hit their target as Bolobo's strength collapsed, and the Master of Nature let out a final breath in the form of a gasp…before his lifeless body hit the ground, pummeled endlessly with gunfire.

Turner breathed hard for a few moments before finally turning to see what had happened. His eyes widened as large as saucers and his entire soul seemed to drop. Bolobo's body laid there without movement, coated in blood.

Turner couldn't speak. He couldn't feel. But he could fight.

He lashed out in pure anger and hatred towards these men of Garmadon, stealing a gun from one of them, using the weapon to shoot down the rest of the members of Garmadon's Fist that were there. As soon as the last body hit the ground, Turner fell to his knees, dropping the gun onto the ground. He sobbed over the lifeless corpse of Bolobo, the Master who Turner wasn't fast enough to save.

* * *

"Lloyd!" Harumi's voice called desperately from the kitchen, immediately gaining the attention of the Green Ninja.

Lloyd's head peeked into the room, a smirk planted on his face. "What now?"

Harumi blushed and played with a strand of her white hair as she gestured to the sink, which was filled to the brim with dirty dishes. "I was trying to help wash the dishes for you, but I can't find any sponges or -"

Lloyd shook his head teasingly, walking up to her. "Harumi, I know you're new here, but I would have expected you to know how to wash dishes."

"I know right well how to wash dishes, you tease! And wipe that stupid smile off your face!" Harumi spoke frustratingly, yet Lloyd's expression caused her own smile to form. She turned back to the sink. "I just need-"

"You need help," Lloyd spoke simply, walking even closer to the girl. Before she knew it, Lloyd's strong arms made their way around her waist to grab a towel from the cabinet. Reaching from behind her, Lloyd stood there behind Harumi, causing the girl's smaller body to melt into his. "Here, I'll teach you how to wash dishes."

Harumi noticed now the height disadvantage here with herself and Lloyd. He was a head taller than her, and his head could easily rest on top of hers if he wanted it to. Suddenly, she felt so small.

Lloyd went to work, standing there behind her as he began washing a few dinner plates. Harumi was a flustered, blushing mess at the moment, and she wasn't brought back to reality until Lloyd's voice returned.

"You just gonna stand there and let me do all the work, or do you wanna help?" Lloyd chuckled, causing Harumi to become even redder than she thought possible.

She simply nodded, getting to work on cleaning some of the dishes. Still, the thought that she was standing right there practically in the hold of Lloyd's stronger, bigger build played at her heart like a wildfire. If she had so effortlessly managed to get Lloyd to _kiss_ her in the alleyway all that time ago, how come he managed to make _her_ such a lovestruck mess? He clearly knew what he was doing to her. Right?

The two teens stood there washing the dishes silently, save for the pounding of Harumi's heart. She wondered if she wasn't the only one who could hear it. Every so often, Lloyd would start humming a song, one that Harumi did not recognize. His voice, even while humming, was soothing to her, so she couldn't really complain.

"Pass the soap, please," Lloyd spoke finally, and Harumi quickly grabbed it for him. "Thanks," Lloyd spoke gratefully, turning his attention back to the dishes.

Before the two of them knew it, the sink was now empty, with all the dishes now washed and dried off. "Well," Harumi laughed lightly. "I guess we make a pretty good team, huh? We got that done pretty fast."

"See?" Lloyd chuckled, not moving from where he stood behind Harumi. "This is what happens when you let me help."

" _Let_ you?" Harumi whipped around, trying her best not to blush at the fact that Lloyd was literally standing right there, with barely any room between them. "You _made yourself at home_ right there, from what I remember."

"I don't think you have any reason to complain though," Lloyd smirked, looking into her jade eyes with his own brown ones. "Everyone needs some company sometimes."

"No, I guess I _can't_ complain," Harumi agreed, pursing her lips in thought. _Well, you've been wanting to do this for so long, and now is as good a time as any._ Harumi thought to herself, not taking her eyes off of his for a second. _Just_ _ **kiss**_ _him._

And so she listened to that voice in her heart, leaning in slowly. Lloyd caught on instantly, and he too moved into it as their lips softly pressed together. Their eyes closed, and their breath slow, the two teens melted into the kiss, and Lloyd's hands moved from the sink to Harumi's waist, resting there.

 _They needed this._

This kiss was different than any they had shared before. This one wasn't fake like when Harumi had used Lloyd, and it wasn't flirtatious like when they kissed in the alleyway. This was a feeling of pure bliss and joy, something that neither of them had felt in so long. This was a clear message to each other saying that they cared for each other in a deeper way than they had ever thought they would.

It wasn't long before Harumi's fingers dug into Lloyd's thick blonde hair, playing with the some of the hairs in the back that liked to curl. The kiss continued for a few more moments before they pulled apart, and their eyes opened once more to stare into each other. Their foreheads pressed together, they breathed softly as they stood there together.

Harumi let out a giggle, and Lloyd smiled back. With that, his lips sped back to hers, placing one last kiss before pulling away again. "You're welcome, Rumi," Lloyd spoke lovingly before walking off, leaving the white-haired girl standing there dumbstruck at what had just occurred.

That was it. She called it now.

 _I'm in love._

* * *

Breakfast came in the ninja household, and PIXAL had whipped up some pancakes for everyone to enjoy. Skylor and Nya had already sat down, and Harumi followed soon after. As PIXAL was setting breakfast on the table, Lloyd entered as well, sitting at the seat next to Harumi.

Harumi blushed, hoping desperately that Lloyd wouldn't do something flirty during breakfast in front of everyone. She had fallen head over heels for him, but the last thing she wanted was for anyone to get suspicious of the two.

"Before we begin eating," Lloyd started, "where's Ronin?"

"Oh, he left," Skylor shrugged, straightening her silverware on the table. "Said he had something to grab from his apartment."

"Huh," Lloyd breathed, looking back down at the meal. "Well then, I guess we'll have to start without him."

As everyone ate, Skylor's eyes widened, and she patted PIXAL on the back. "Pix, you've done it again! Whatever cooking program you downloaded, I love it!"

"Oh, I didn't download it," PIXAL shook her head with a smile. "I guess I must have picked it up from Zane at some point. But thanks for the compliment, Skylor."

"You did this w _ithout_ even a cookbook?" Nya exclaimed, raising her eyebrows high. "Pix, I knew you were different than other androids, but _dang_ , girl!"

"I take it that that was a compliment," PIXAL smiled gratefully, plopping another pancake on her own plate, digging in. "I must admit, I wasn't sure if this would come out right. Lately, I've been feeling quite _different._ As in, I feel like I get more stressed about things. Or sometimes I feel sadness like I never have before. I…I have started _feeling_. Something I don't understand."

"You've always been special, Pix," Lloyd smiled. "Zane knew it from the start. Borg made you different than any other creation of his, because you couldn't be copied. You were always one-of-a-kind. I think Zane helped you push the boundaries of being 'just an android' a little bit. And if you start feeling like a normal teenage girl, don't fight it."

" _Embrace_ it, Pix," Skylor laughed. "We want the best for you, and when you start changing, we're here for you."

"Hmm," PIXAL nodded, deep in thought. "Maybe sometime I can ask Borg about these changes. Maybe I can see if he has an explanation."

"Some things just simply can't be explained, Pix," Lloyd laughed. "Being different isn't a bad thing."

PIXAL nodded with a smile. "Anyways, I wanted to thank you and Harumi for washing the dishes for me. Judging from what was seen in the kitchen, I assume you had fun working together."

Harumi's entire body jerked forward, choking on her glass of milk as her face turned red as a tomato. She coughed violently, and an uproar came from Skylor and Nya.

"You were washing the dishes together?" Skylor exclaimed with a big smile. "That's so _adorable._ "

"You were _what?_ " Nya shouted.

"We were just helping each other," Harumi insisted, looking to Lloyd for help.

"That's one way of putting it," Skylor winked at the two teenagers.

"Why the heck were you _watching_ us, PIXAL?" Harumi groaned, her face disappearing in her long white hair as she buried her head in her hands. "There's a such thing as _privacy._ Especially in an apartment…"

"I apologize, but I was simply walking into the kitchen to grab a towel for the glass of soda Ronin spilled in the living room. I did not mean to…walk in…"

"Now _that's_ true ninja skill right there," Nya pointed out while using a knife to cut her pancakes. "Even _Master Lloyd_ didn't catch on to that one."

"So, Lloyd," Ronin started, instantly changing the subject, yet Lloyd and Harumi's faces still remained bright red. "How do those blaster pistols handle for you? If they aren't your style, we can try something bigger."

"No, they're great, Ronin," Lloyd assured the older man, patting the holsters that rested on his hips, each containing a blaster pistol. "I tried them out a little bit earlier, and they work like a charm. It's just like hurling energy spheres, except you're shooting, not throwing."

"That's…one way of putting it," Nya shrugged, taking a sip of milk. "I'm just glad I still have _my_ powers, so I will only have to use those things as a last resort." She looked at Lloyd, and immediately regretted her words. "Oh, no Lloyd, that's not what I meant…"

"It's alright, Nya," Lloyd smiled lightly, glancing down at his hands. "It's just…something I'll have to get used to. And just a few weeks ago I was able to shoot a hole straight through a brick wall by summoning massive amounts of energy at will…"

"Well, me and Nya still have our powers at least," Skylor spoke as she lit her hand on fire, one of the last memories of the real Master of Fire. "And you, PIXAL, and Ronin all have your 'heavy duty' stuff." The redhead turned to Harumi. "What about you, Harumi? Got any secret powers you haven't told us about?" Skylor joked.

"You could say that," Harumi smirked, and Lloyd caught on to what she was saying.

"You still have the Mask of Hatred, don't you?" Lloyd smirked back, and Harumi nodded.

"Oh yeah," the white-haired girl stretched her arms above her head, doing circles with her shoulders. "I have it in Skylor's room. I bet Garmadon is gonna be s _o_ ticked when he finds out that he doesn't have it."

"Well, after all this, Garmadon is resurrected, and the masks really aren't that important now," Nya shrugged. "Still, the Mask of Hatred grants the user near-indestructible armor around their body. That could be pretty useful if you ask me."

"Well, there ya go, Snowflake, there's your superpower," Ronin winked at Harumi, causing her to flinch a bit.

"Easy, Ronin," Lloyd stepped in, shaking his head. "It's called the Mask of _Hatred_ for a reason. It's a symbol of the Oni's power. I'm sure Rumi knows right well what that think can do to you." He turned to the girl. "You haven't put the mask on since you moved in here, right?"

"Of course not," Harumi shivered. "As convenient as the thing was, it made me a _very_ unlikeable person. I really only kept it so Garmadon couldn't get his grubby-"

Harumi was cut off by a loud roar from outside, followed by loud ominous footsteps. Screams of citizens erupted from the streets, and the team darted to the window to see what was up.

PIXAL didn't even need to look to know what was going on. "The Oni Titan has returned."

Harumi shivered once more as she looked out the window at that large monster that Garmadon had created all those weeks ago…that monster that had crushed the _Bounty._

"Why do you think it's back?" Skylor looked to Lloyd, panic evident in her voice. "We barely stood a chance against it before, but now we're down four ninja, and only two of us have powers."

"I…don't know why it's back," Lloyd admitted, watching the monster stomp around the city. "What could my father be up to now?"

"Maybe he sent the Oni Titan to find us?" Nya guessed, slowly grabbing her trident.

"No, it's not even coming in this direction. It's heading towards the upper levels," Lloyd sighed. "Either way, people are in danger, and we need to move!"

The others nodded and quickly followed closely behind Lloyd, weapons sheathed and hoods/helmets slipped on. As they exited the apartment complex, Skylor rubbed her chin. "Uh, how are we gonna catch up to that thing? It's too fast for us to catch on foot."

"The van!" PIXAL pointed out, and they followed her to the vehicle.

Lloyd quickly slipped into the driver's seat and fumbled around with his keys as he desperately searched for the key to the van. "Ah, where is it?"

"You can't find the van key?" Nya exclaimed, mildly panicking.

"I had it on this key ring, I swear!" Lloyd fired back.

"Watch this, everyone," Skylor casually reached her hand up front to the dashboard before using the element of lightning to hotwire the vehicle. The engine started, and the team's cheers roared their approval for Skylor's feat. "Problem solved," the redhead smirked, sitting down in the back with Nya, PIXAL, and Ronin while Harumi sat in the front passenger seat next to Lloyd.

Lloyd drove off, clearly faster than the speed limit permitted, into the streets of New Ninjago City, heading in the direction of the upper levels.

* * *

Garmadon's mouth formed into a twisted grin as he overlooked the destruction that his Oni Titan caused to the city. The fear and screams of the people fueled the emperor's very being. He had heard from Ultra Violet that the Elemental Master of Nature had been killed. But that wasn't enough.

The hunt for all of the ninja's remaining allies had proved to be a much larger task than Garmadon himself had expected. They were all scattered across the globe at this point, and it was only luck that they had found Bolobo's hiding place. Unfortunately, the Master of Speed had escaped…

"Emperor Garmadon," Killow spoke smugly as he entered the Throne Room. "Your Oni Titan has spread fear. The city is in danger, and all is going according to plan."

"Excellent," Garmadon hissed, still not taking his eyes off of the Oni Titan as it stormed the city. "Then my son and his team will surely come to the people's rescue. And when they arrive, I want you, Mr. E, and Ultra Violet to be there and greet them. Bring the two Oni Masks."

"Yes, my Emperor," Killow bowed as he left, and soon after a group of figures entered the room.

"My lord, we have a prisoner who we believe you will be interested in seeing," one of the men said, and Garmadon whipped around to face them.

" _Misako_ …" The name rolled off of Garmadon's tongue like a song. "My dear, dear wife. I assume you split off from our son again so you could 'keep him safe?' Oh, Misako, you should know that that never worked…"

Misako's face was one of pure hatred, yet a bit of fear shone in her eyes. Garmadon could see it. "Our son is weak and without power because of _you,_ " she shouted angrily. "Ninjago has fallen because of _you._ Your own _brother_ is dead because of you."

"We both know what power Wu possessed," Garmadon roared, folding his hands behind his back as he circled around Misako. "He and Lloyd were my greatest threats. Their Oni and Dragon powers combined could have possibly been too strong. Even for me. So, I cut dear old brother Wu out of the picture and damaged the son. All in all, I did what I had to in order to raise my empire."

" _Your_ empire?" Misako yelled. " _Your_ world? Your father created Ninjago to be the balance between light and dark. Now you've tipped the balance in the favor of the dark for your own selfish ambitions! I refuse to believe that you are truly the man I married!"

"You're right, Misako," Garmadon let out a dark chuckle. "I'm not. I'm everything he _never_ was. Everything he _could have_ been. Sensei Garmadon was the fool."

"Then my husband truly is dead," Misako tore her eyes away from the warlord, and he nodded.

"Yes. Yes he is."

As the van entered the upper levels, the team opened their eyes to all the destruction that the Oni Titan had already caused. Several buildings had already collapsed, and many others were heavily damaged.

Jumping out of the van, Skylor ran over to a motionless body that lied on the ground, only to find that he was already dead. The Orange Ninja shook her head in disbelief, her heart sinking for these poor people.

Ronin rested a hand on her shoulder with a sigh. "Come on, Redhead. This is war. Sometimes people have to die."

"Guys, let's go!" Lloyd called, running after the Oni Titan. The others followed closely behind, and they soon came upon the massive monster.

Nya's eyes narrowed, and she pulled out her trident. "That thing killed Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, and Wu. I'm not gonna let it get away with that this time."

"We'll make sure of that together, Nya," Lloyd assured her. "But we need to think this through. Even with elements, we hardly could lay a scratch on that thing."

"Well, let's see what a good ol' rocket launcher has to say to that," Ronin smirked, pulling out the large weapon. Within a few moments, it was loaded and the rocket fired off, hitting it's mark at the forehead of the Oni Titan. This caused the monster to fall back, eventually losing its balance and falling down.

Ronin smugly folded his arms, observing the damage he had done to the creature.

"Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, I guess," Skylor shrugged.

"Yeah, and the bigger they are, the easier it is for it to crush you under its foot!" Nya yelled. "Run!" She wildly broke into a sprint, pulling the others along as the Oni Titan's foot became dangerously close.

Lloyd grabbed Harumi and spun into his glowing green Spinjitzu tornado, managing to speed off enough to get both him and Harumi out of the way before the Oni Titan's foot made contact with the ground. The others had already found their own way out of the Oni Titan's path, but it came back for the next attack.

"I'll call in my mech," PIXAL informed the others. "In the meantime, hold him back."

"Consider it done," Nya whispered, running up to the Oni Titan and spinning herself into her Airjitzu form, floating up into the sky. As she made eye contact with the creature, she gripped her trident tightly. As soon as her Airjitzu broke, the Water Ninja vaulted herself up onto the Oni Titan's shoulder, aiming her weapon in the direction of its left eye.

"Nya, wait!" Lloyd called out, but his words made no difference.

In a swift movement, Nya flung her trident at the Oni Titan, making perfect impact with its eye. It growled and yelled in pain, causing the Water Ninja to stumble back and lose her balance. She let out a light gasp as she fell backwards, and soon found herself falling from the sky.

" _ **No!"**_ Skylor screamed, running over to where the Oni Titan was. But it was too late to catch her. Nya's body made impact with the hard pavement, letting out a horrifying _crack_.

"Nya…" Lloyd shook his head sadly, kneeling beside his friend. He tore off her hood, revealing the Water Ninja's unconscious face. Her black hair was a mess, and a pool of crimson poured on the ground beside her head.

PIXAL's mech eventually arrived, but the Samurai had no time for that anymore. She quickly ran over to Nya's body, running a scan.

"Pix…" Skylor whispered, tears brimming. "Is she..."

"No, she is alive," PIXAL confirmed, resting a hand around Nya's neck. "But she suffered much damage to her spine, as well as the back of her head."

"You mean…" Harumi trailed off, looking in horror at the sight. "All that blood is from her _head_?"

PIXAL nodded sadly, closing her eyes shut. "She needs immediate emergency care, or she might not make it."

"Then take her to the nearest hospital," Lloyd ordered, carefully picking up Nya's unconscious body. "You can take the van."

PIXAL nodded, helping the Green Ninja lay Nya's body inside the back of the van. She quickly started the vehicle, speeding off, leaving the others alone with the Oni Titan.

"Okay, that thing is gonna _pay_ ," Skylor snarled, lighting her fists on fire. She fired a massive beam of heat at the Oni Titan, causing it to growl in pain once again. The heat burned through a bit of its arm. Before the Oni Titan could recover, Skylor summoned another element. This time, ice. She formed a small hurricane between her palms, watching it slowly grow larger before releasing it on the Oni Titan.

Catching on to what she was trying, Ronin fired another rocket at the Oni Titan, causing it to stumble back and be unprepared for the hurricane. Skylor's attack managed to freeze its arms.

Then she finished her joint move by blasting the arms with a strong beam of lightning, essentially tearing the arms of the Oni Titan apart. The destroyed appendages fell to the ground in a clump of large rocks, and the Oni Titan suddenly felt like the small one here.

Lloyd ran up to it, sliding under its legs as he fired his blaster pistols all over the Oni Titan's legs. Now behind the Oni Titan, Lloyd fired repeatedly at its back, successfully breaking off several of the rocks that acted as a strong armor for the Oni Titan.

Harumi suddenly felt useless without any weapon of her own…

 _Wait._

Harumi darted over to PIXAL's Samurai X Mech, opening the cockpit and pulling out the old artifact. Harumi's jade eyes stared down at the purple mask in her hands, considering what she was about to do.

 _You saw what that thing did to Nya._ Harumi told herself. _Who knows who it could hurt next. Skylor, Ronin,_ _ **Lloyd**_ _…this might be the only way._

Harumi shamefully gave in to the old habit, slowly placing the mask over her face, feeling the artifact react to the user with a familiar power. Harumi's body was once again covered in a strong near-indestructible armor, and two long black hair whips extended from the top of the mask.

Lloyd heard the sound of the mask reacting, and he whipped around to the white-haired girl with a concerned expression. "Rumi, don't…take that off, please!"

" **It's the only way, Lloyd,"** Harumi spoke in a deeper voice because of the mask's power, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. **"Please, just trust me."**

Lloyd stood silently, but he soon nodded slowly.

Harumi walked up to the Oni Titan, ignoring the wide eyes from Skylor and Ronin. She felt the energy run through her body as she jumped unusually high into the air, before taking a breath and landing a strong punch right at the Oni Titan's chest. Her fist broke straight through, and got stuck inside the Oni Titan. Harumi helplessly hung there as her body swung with every movement the Oni Titan made. As she took deep breaths, she felt something grab her from behind, pulling her away from the hole that Harumi's fist was stuck inside. After a few more pulls, Harumi was freed, and she could hear the familiar _hiss_ as Lloyd floated away with her using Airjitzu. Landing on a rooftop, Lloyd whispered to the girl, "We're gonna try that again, okay?" A humorous tone was evident in his voice, but Harumi nodded seriously.

Lloyd's arms wrapped even tighter around Harumi's waist, holding her tightly as he once again activated his Airjitzu, floating back over to the Oni Titan. "Ready?" Lloyd yelled, and with that he threw her at the Oni Titan.

Like a bullet, Harumi shot straight through the Oni Titan's torso, landing in a pile of rubble nearby. The damage proved too great for the Oni Titan, and he let out one last groan before he exploded into a flurry of rocks.

Harumi could hear the cheers of her teammates as Lloyd rushed to her side, pulling the Mask of Hatred off of her face. "Hey, you did it!" He chuckled, helping her up.

"I admit, I wasn't expecting you to _throw_ me, but I guess it worked better than what I had in mind," She smiled, looking into his eyes.

"Well, the mask makes you practically invincible, so I knew that whatever I did with you, you wouldn't feel any pain," Lloyd explained. "Quick thinking in tight situations is the key in most battles."

"Well, since it worked so well, can I have it back please?" Harumi whispered in his ear, reaching her arm around to try and grab it from him.

"No, I think I'll take it from here," Lloyd denied the girl, yet a playful smirk was still very evident. "Besides…you look way cuter without it." His words caught Harumi by surprise as the Green Ninja simply walked off towards the others.

* * *

 **Well, here ya go, friends! Part 4 ALREADY! It seems just like yesterday that I started this fic, I swear. I hope you guys enjoy this one even more than the last ones! You asked for Lloyrumi fluff, and I delivered! Er, I mean I planned all of this! All of it!**

 **As for the reviews:**

 **AuroraRain18: As always, your review was the highlight of posting this :D And you want a "proper conversation" between these two? Nah, I'll just have em wash dishes and kiss xD**

 **It'sYourGirl: I got dark, you say? Interesting...**

 **Guest: They are in this chapter! :D**

 **Elcall: Interaction? Here ya go, a scene between these two washing dishes and then kissing. There's your interaction xD**

 **StarNinja2510: best Ninjago fic? Trust me, there are many talented writers on here that are older and have more experience than I do. But I'm glad that you value my fic so highly :D Thanks, it's a big confidence booster.**

 **SkyDreamer12: Long chapters are, like, my thing now xD**

 **Jdizzle: Your wish is yours to keep.**

 **MarbleBird: How do I do it? Why, I wing it, of course! :D The best stuff I write is when I just pour out my imagination tbh. But planning it out is probably recommended...**

 **legocameragirl: AuroraRain18 is a great writer, so I completely understand why she inspired you. Me, tho? I literally just throw all my thoughts and imagination out there xD And BCiMF is actually underway with the next chapter. I'll try to get that chappie out soon for ya :D**

 **Jdizzle (again): Wow...that's a very long paragraph of ideas. I like it xD I like the ideas you came up with, and I may consider using some of them for inspiration in the future, but I think your thoughts should be your own :D Wether you have an account on here or not doesn't matter, you don't need FFN to write. I think you are a very promising writer :D**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **~EB**


	5. Part 5

After the Oni Titan had been defeated, Lloyd, Harumi, Skylor, and Ronin retreated back to the apartment, unfortunately having to take the trip on foot. The location of their apartment had to be kept secret, and flying in on PIXAL's Samurai X mech would have been a big giveaway. So PIXAL autopiloted the mech back to wherever she normally kept it, and she hurried the others inside the apartment as they arrived.

Skylor instantly made herself at home, kicking off her combat boots and throwing her shoulderpad and weapons on the floor. She made her way over to the livingroom, where PIXAL had set up a bed for Nya to lie on.

"Poor girl," Ronin sighed, looking down at the unconscious figure. "She took quite a hit from that fall. Is she gonna be alright?" He looked to PIXAL, who was already hard at work running diagnostics.

"If all of the stitches and treatments are performed correctly, and she heals properly, she should live," PIXAL sighed. "But I'm afraid she may have suffered minor brain damage."

"Yeah, a lot of the blood was coming from her head, remember?" Skylor pointed out. "What are the full injuries?"

PIXAL looked over the list, reading aloud, "Several broken bones, including damage to the spine and neckbone. A few fingers are broken, she has 6 different places where she has large cuts in her skin…" The android trailed off sadly, looking back down on the Water Ninja. "I have already begun applying stitches, but in the meantime I will need someone to get some more medical kits from the basement."

"On it," Ronin nodded, rushing away.

"Now, Lloyd, I need you to call Mr. Borg and ask for his help on the situation. I believe he may have some technology that can aid us with helping Nya's body to heal," PIXAL spoke calmly, looking over at the Green Ninja. "And if he doesn't…any assistance is appreciated."

Lloyd nodded, walking off as well. Before Harumi knew it, PIXAL had already given Skylor a job as well, leaving the Samurai and the former Quiet One remaining in the room. The white-haired girl was already a bit tense about the current situation, and she kind of hoped PIXAL was out of jobs.

 _Nope._

"Harumi, can you help me as well?" PIXAL waved the girl over, handing her some supplies. "There are so many places that require stitches, and I have enough on top of that to see too. I need you to finish the stitching, while I try my best to prevent further brain damage."

Harumi reluctantly took the tools, looking down at them. _I don't know how to do this,_ she thought to herself. _I wouldn't even know the name of these tools._

"Do you know how to do this?" PIXAL asked, and the white-haired girl's sadly shaking head allowed for her to explain. "Alright, well first of all you need to wash out the wound of any gravel or dirt that may infect it. You use this tool to clean it out," She pointed to one of the items in Harumi's hands. "After you're done with that, I'll explain the rest."

"Okay," Harumi spoke nervously, trying her best to look calm. She made her way to one of Nya's cuts on her ankle, and the girl cringed at how bad it looked. After taking a few breaths, Harumi began washing out the wound, making sure to clean out all of the debris and gravel. PIXAL then walked her through the process of applying the stitches, and Harumi set to work, finishing up the rest of the cuts that PIXAL hadn't gotten to. For several more hours, PIXAL and Harumi worked to clean up all the wounds and cuts, as well as keep their attention on Nya's brain damage.

Cyrus Borg had soon arrived in person, thanks to the address that Lloyd had provided him. Lloyd and Skylor led him into the living room, and Cyrus' worn eyes softened at the sight of PIXAL – _his_ PIXAL – hard at work to try and help her friend. The android turned around and her bright green eyes widened in surprise as she jumped up to give her creator a hug.

Cyrus' laughed lightly, hugging back. "Oh, PIXAL, you rebuilt yourself I see," he let go and looked her over, very impressed with the design. "You look much like you did when I first created you, just… _upgraded._ " The inventor straightened his glasses as he continued, "Wherever did you find the supplies and resources to rebuild yourself, especially in an even better design than before?"

PIXAL smiled guiltily. "I may or may not have 'borrowed' some titanium alloy from Borg Tower."

"Ah, so you took inspiration from Zane's newer titanium form," Cyrus smiled. "I agree, using that material is much more efficient for creating an android body. I suppose that isn't the _only_ thing that you changed in the original design."

PIXAL hummed softly, nodding her head. "I improved the cooling and heating systems, and my processor now is almost five times faster than the original. I also enhanced the self defense program. Now it is much more adequate for my role as Samurai X."

"Ah, yes, I heard about that," Cyrus chuckled. "If I hadn't understood why you kept your identity a secret all this time, I'd probably be cross at you for not telling me before." He set a hand on PIXAL's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, PIXAL."

"Thank you," PIXAL smiled back sweetly.

"I hate to break up the reunion," Harumi started with a worried voice, "but Nya's starting to wake up!"

The room instantly turned from quiet and calm to bustling and excited as everyone gathered around as the Master of Water, eyes weakly opened, and the girl let out a rough cough.

"Nya…" Lloyd smiled widely, and if it hadn't been for her condition, he would have given her a big hug. "You're awake!"

"Um…yeah?" Nya's expression turned to one of confusion, and she attempted to sit up. She nearly screamed as her body was filled with pain, forcing her to lie back down.

"Please, Nya," PIXAL gave the raven-haired girl an apologetic smile. "You are hurt. It would be better not to move."

Nya huffed, blowing a stray hair out of her face. "What happened?"

Skylor's shoulders slumped. "You were fighting the Oni Titan and you…fell."

PIXAL nodded. "Do you remember any of it, Nya?"

The Water Ninja shook her head, closing her eyes. "No, my memory seems a bit foggy." She opened her eyes once more, looking around. "Wait, where _are_ we? This isn't the _Bounty…_ " She looked around at all the other people in the room, and she raised a brow. "Mr. Borg? What are you doing here? And…" She glanced at Harumi with confused eyes. "Who are _you_?"

Ronin groaned. "She must not remember _anything_ from at least the past few months."

"Wait…" Nya's eyes widened as she looked around furiously. "Where is Jay? And my brother? Cole and Zane…where are they?"

Skylor's heart sank for her friend, looking to Lloyd for help. He shook his head sadly at the redhead, and looked back at Nya.

"Nya…" Lloyd trailed off sadly.

"They're all dead, aren't they?" Nya whimpered. "I think I remember now. They're…they're all _dead_!" She screamed, tears filling her eyes as she buried her head in her pillow.

"Poor Nya," Skylor whispered to Lloyd. "We've all experienced the death of the others before, but…Nya's had to experience it twice. I can't even imagine what she's going through…"

"It's going to take time to help her regain her memory," PIXAL sighed, folding her arms. "A _lot_ has been going on lately, and we'd had better take it slow."

Cryus nodded, walking over to the computer. "I believe I may have a device that can help Nya to walk as usual, after we finish up with all of the treatments. She may not be able to fight for a while, though."

Lloyd nodded. "She's family. As long as she's alright, that's what matters. Do you think the device will be ready when she's healed enough to use it?"

"Well, I have the basic skeleton of the invention with me, but…" Cyrus chuckled. "It seems that your father has kicked me out of my own tower, so I will need to find some more materials elsewhere."

"I can help with that," Ronin smirked, playing around with a tool in his hands. "They don't call me a smuggler for nothing."

"Delightful," Cyrus rolled his eyes.

* * *

After her shift of watching Nya was over, Harumi handed the job over to Skylor and walked into the basement, finding Lloyd there as expected. She longed to talk with him alone, and all the recent events had left little time for that.

The blonde turned around from the computer he was seated at, smiling over at the girl walking closer to him. "Hey, Rumi. Watcha up to?"

"I think I should be asking _you_ that question," Harumi rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck as she glanced at the screen. "You're up reading the news again, huh?"

Lloyd sighed, nodding. "It's the only way to keep up to date with whatever my father's been up to lately. It seems he's just taken over twenty more villages this week. And one of the Elemental Masters was killed."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Harumi sighed. "But y'know what? You've been stressing yourself for a while. Why don't you take a break from the screen and relax for a bit, huh?" She nuzzled her head against his, and then placed a kiss on his cheek before walking off.

Lloyd bought into the girl's suggestion, following her back upstairs. "So…" he started, looking down at his clothing. He was still dressed in his ninja gi, covered in dark green armor plates and pouches to hold weaponry. "I'm gonna go get changed, and then I can show you something when I get back, okay?"

Harumi hummed lightly, nodding her head slowly. "Okay."

Lloyd led Harumi outside and the two walked together down the street to that same Auto Body Shop where Harumi had caught Lloyd and kissed him for the first time. Harumi lightly blushed as she thought back to that night, but she was distracted from her thoughts as Lloyd opened up a small garage in the back, which held an object covered in a large tarp.

Lloyd smirked, pulling the girl inside and closing the garage behind them. With one big swipe, he removed the tarp, revealing the Nightcrawler, in all its green and gold glory. Harumi whistled, looking over the vehicle.

"Nice ride," She smiled, tracing her finger over the hood.

"Wanna see the inside?" Lloyd laughed, and after Harumi nodded her answer, he undid the cockpit, allowing the white-haired girl and himself to slip inside.

"Wow," Harumi breathed, practically melting into the soft leather seats, and running her fingers over the many datapads and controls inside. "This is pretty nice…"

"This old gal is fitted with the same AI program as the _Bounty_ has…or _had._ " Lloyd instantly regretted his words as he saw Harumi's face fall at the mention of that old ship. "Hey…" He spoke, hoping to gain her attention. But her eyes seemed to be looking everywhere but in his direction.

"Hey…" he repeated, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Harumi flinched a bit under the touch, biting her lip nervously as she tried to hold back a few tears.

 _You idiot,_ a voice in her conscience scolded herself. _You feel_ _ **sorry**_ _for what happened to those other ninja? If anything, they should have died by_ _ **your**_ _hand. It would have been all the more_ _ **perfect**_ _after having made them all believe you were a perfect little princess the whole time…_

Harumi's face finally turned to the Green Ninja seated next to her, who's own face was filled with concern. _Look at him. It's either_ _ **love**_ _or_ _ **die**_ _, isn't it? If you didn't love him, you could kill him off too. But what happens if he is no longer interested? What if he starts to_ _ **hate**_ _you just like all the rest? Oh, with how tightly he's grown close to you, you could end his life just like_ _ **that.**_

Harumi's true heart and soul screamed at the voice to stop, but the darkness had already begun to consume her. The Mask of Hatred…Lloyd had been right about it. It was as if it had a mind of its own…and it had implanted itself in Harumi so well already that she didn't even need the mask. Harumi's body seemed to take on the control of another…this entity was beginning to take control.

The entity was a part of Harumi, and both of them wanted one thing. That blonde sat so innocently in the driver's seat looking at the holopads. He acted like he was so safe…boy, was he wrong.

Harumi screamed internally at the entity, but it had no effect. The darkness inside made its way out into her actions, and Harumi slowly crawled over to Lloyd, wrapping her arms around his neck.

This action certainly gained Lloyd's attention. As soon as his head whipped around to face the girl, cherry lips met his own in a forceful kiss, causing him to fall backward lightly. The door swung open, and Lloyd fell onto the hard pavement, with Harumi falling onto his chest. Her lips never left his, and his eyes widened before he too fell into her trance, melting into the kiss. Eventually, Harumi was forced to come up for air, and a fiery, wild look shone in her eyes. She traced her fingers down his neck, arching her back a bit as her long white hair fell across Lloyd's face.

"H-Harumi?" Lloyd questioned, a look of confusion evident. Yet a light smirk played at his lips as he looked up at the girl on top of him.

"Last time you were on the ground, we were fighting over that Oni Mask," Harumi purred, yet her voice held a heir to it that Lloyd didn't recognize. Almost as if two people were talking at once. "Yet…now we're on _different_ terms."

"Rumi…" Lloyd spoke hesitantly. "You're scaring me. I know that we both enjoyed that kiss in the kitchen but…this is not something that I-"

"Not something you _expected_ from me?" Harumi smirked, placing a finger on his lips as she lightly shushed him like a mother to her child. "Often the most unexpected things can be ones most enjoyed," she spoke quietly, almost in a whisper. "So why don't you shut up and enjoy it." She leaned in once more, capturing the Green Ninja in another kiss.

Before she could pull him into it again, Lloyd lightly pushed her away, laughing nervously. "Rumi, seriously…are you alright? You don't seem like yourself."

"What?" Harumi rolled her eyes, blowing a stray hair out of her face. "You didn't expect sweet and innocent Princess Harumi to be such a good kisser?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Lloyd rose a brow, now quite concerned. "No, I just…one moment, you were your normal self, and now…"

"Now what?" Harumi questioned, a bit of annoyance in her voice. Now that "other voice" was even more apparent to Lloyd.

"You just pushed me out of the car and started kissing me out of the blue?" Lloyd shook his head, starting to slowly stand up. "That was never your style. Every kiss before this has been clearly shy and light on both our parts." He sighed. "What in the world just _changed_?"

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought," Harumi reasoned, looking up at him innocently as she remained on the ground.

"That's not it," Lloyd stubbornly shook his head, placing his fingers at the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in thought. An imaginary light bulb flicked to life in his brain, and his eyes widened. "The mask…"

Harumi stuck out her bottom lip in a mocking whimper, walking back over to him. "What mask?" She spoke in a teasing voice, once again grabbing onto Lloyd. "Like I said," she quickly pecked him on the lips before looking into his eyes. "This is me."

"Rumi," Lloyd's eyes filled with fear, pushing her away. "That mask can twist your thoughts if you allow it too. Oni blood is a deadly venom. Normal to actual Oni, but to anyone else…it can control you."

"Oh, come _on_ ," Harumi whined, something that she had never done in front of Lloyd before. "I literally kissed you like a million times. Can't you just accept this as something nice that doesn't happen to just any guy?" She trailed off, resting her hand on his cheek. "You know, winning the heart of a _princess_?"

"That's not you talking," Lloyd sighed, his shoulders slumping. "That entity, that _hate…_ "

"That force inside of me has _always_ been there," Harumi snarled. "The mask just influenced me to let it out. And guess what? Both sides really, really like you."

Harumi pushed Lloyd down to the ground once again, this time much more forcefully. As she leaned in closer, the creaking of the garage door could be heard, and Harumi gasped as she saw a figure enter.

"Um, what the _heck_ happened here?" Ronin questioned, lightly tapping one of the guns holstered on his belt.

Just as the door opening allowed the sun's light to fill the garage, the darkness inside Harumi vanished, leaving the normal Harumi scared on the floor as she pulled herself away from Lloyd, whose face was also filled with worry.

"What did- how- I…" Harumi stuttered, her voice full of shaky breathing. "I'm so sorry…"

"Um…" Ronin cleared his throat. "Anyone mind giving me a recap on what's going on?"

Lloyd just shook his head at the man, then looking back at the girl curled up on the floor. He moved over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Rumi, it's okay…you didn't know it was going to happen…"

"I should have listened to you," Harumi whispered, feeling her eyes fill with tears. "It's my fault…what if it comes back?"

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Lloyd sighed, hugging the girl close as she sobbed into the crook of his neck. "It's gonna be okay…"

* * *

The next morning, Lloyd woke early to find Cyrus seated in the basement, hard at work on the invention he claimed would help Nya function normally again while she healed. The older man smiled at the blonde as he entered. "Ah, Lloyd my good boy. Did you sleep well last night?"

Lloyd's tired, saddened face denied the inventor's assumptions.

"Ah, is it about Princess Harumi?" Cyrus knowingly asked, gesturing for Lloyd to come sit down. "I know you're concerned about what that Oni Mask did to her. If you would like, I can help you find some research on the mask. Possibly find a cure to whatever ails the poor girl."

Lloyd sighed, staring down at the floor. "This is a power quite like what turned my father evil originally. The venom of the Great Devourer was much like the power that the Oni Masks possess. It corrupts the heart until there's nothing left but a cold, hard soul in its place. I've only cured it once, and that was only with my Golden Power."

"Ah, and you don't have that anymore," Cyrus nodded, getting on track with what the Green Ninja meant. "I wish there was a way I could help."

"Maybe there is," Lloyd's eyes lit up, turning to the inventor. "I've read almost all of my mother's ancient scrolls and research on the Prophecy of the Green Ninja and all that. When the Overlord used the Golden Weapons to help himself become the Golden Master, he melted them down into an armor. You still have that Golden Armor hidden away somewhere, right?"

Cyrus's eyes widened. "Yes, I do. Luckily, only I know the location of it, so hopefully Garmadon can never find it. But what about the armor? You think if she puts it on, it can heal her?"

"No, _I'll_ have to put it on," Lloyd explained. "The Temple of Light is where I received my Golden Power the first time. All I have to do is bring the armor to the temple-"

"-and transfer the power of the armor back to yourself," Cyrus finished for him. "Clever. But the Temple of Light is on the Dark Island, isn't it? That's quite a dangerous journey…not to mention you have to get the Golden Armor too."

"I know, I know," Lloyd sighed. "But if it works, I can get my powers back, _and_ I can heal Harumi…"

"Not to mention you'll have more than enough power to defeat your father," Cyrus pointed out, but Lloyd shook his head with a smile.

"No. I won't have to defeat him. If I have the power of the First Spinjitzu Master back in my hands, I can heal him, too. Y'know, if there _is_ still any good left inside of him. This could be how we save Ninjago! Harumi and my father turn good again, the land is at peace again, and with the Golden Powers, I can continue to maintain the balance. _This_ could be how I fulfill the rest of the Prophecy."

"I don't know, Lloyd," Cyrus shrugged. "Seems almost _too_ easy to me. But if this is what you think, then I can help you with finding that Golden Armor."

"So, where'd you hide the thing?" Lloyd laughed as he and the inventor walked out of the room.

Cyrus smiled, folding his arms. "Are you a good swimmer?"

* * *

Skylor walked into New Ninjago City Harbor at a jogging pace, approaching the others, who were already there. The Orange Ninja looked down at her own bathing suit, and then at the others'. Everyone was dressed for this specific mission, except for Cyrus, who insisted in staying behind because of his inability to use his legs, as well as to keep an eye on Nya.

Harumi sighed as she tied her hair up, very much like how she used to have it before she had donned her Quiet One look a while back. "The Emperor and Empress had me take swimming lessons for most of my childhood, but I never really thought I'd need them." She stared off into the distance, at the ever stretching body of water. "So, there's actually a hidden island out there, huh?"

"Apparently so," PIXAL nodded, running one last analysis over the details of the mission. "There's an ancient fog over it that somehow keeps it hidden from view. The only way to enter the fog is by swimming directly into it."

"So no one riding a boat through here has ever seen this fog?" Harumi asked doubtingly, placing her hands on her hips.

"No, plenty of people have gone through that fog," PIXAL answered, "but none of them have come back."

"Well that's not nerve-racking at all," Skylor rolled her eyes. "Sounds like a generic summary for a horror story where everyone dies. But yeah, let's all go swim into it, right?"

"Easy, Sky," Lloyd chuckled, patting the redhead on the back. "We've all been through worse. But seeing as this island is where Cyrus had the Golden Armor hidden, it's expected to be in such a place. Besides, we actually know the safe air pocket inside, whereas none of the people before did."

"So what are we waiting for?" Harumi shrugged, raising her arms above her head as she got into a diving stance. "Let's go for a swim." With that, she dove into the water, cutting through like a bullet. After a few moments, she emerged above the water, waving to the others. "Come on, we don't have all day!"

Lloyd laughed at the girl's enthusiasm, diving into the water as well. Skylor followed close behind, as did PIXAL. As soon as all four teenagers came back up to the surface, Lloyd nodded in the direction of the cloud. "Alright, let's go. Stay safe, and stay together."

After a few minutes of endless swimming, Harumi's enthusiasm vanished as her arms began aching and her legs became stiff. Her form became awkward, and she began coming back up for air more frequently. "G-guys!" She gasped, waving her arms wildly. "I'm…I'm getting…tired!"

"Me too!" Skylor groaned, coming to a stop as she treaded water, attempting to save energy. "This is when Nya's water powers could _definitely_ be of use."

"But aren't you the Elemental Master of Amber?" PIXAL pointed out. "And as such, you should be able to use Nya's water powers, correct?"

"Um…yeah. That's true," Skylor attempted to hide her blush, but failed as she was already trying desperately to keep her head from submerging under the water. "Let's see what I can do," she gasped for air, throwing her arms into the air as she felt the ocean beneath her twist to her will.

"I feel something happening," Lloyd laughed. "It's working!"

Skylor soon manipulated the waters to create a giant wave behind them. As it grew larger and closer, she yelled for everyone to brace themselves. As it crashed into the four teenagers, it carried them away, quickly transporting them closer to the island.

Harumi closed her eyes shut as she prepared for the force of the wave to send her crashing into the sea, but to her surprise, the wave almost seemed to hug her body like a blanket, elevating her steadily, as well as the others.

Skylor laughed, stretching her arms out wide as she controlled the waves below her. "WHOOOOOO!" she screamed excitedly, looking around at the others' humorous faces. As they approached a large cloud of fog, the wave slowly fell back into the water, slipping Lloyd, Harumi, Skylor, and PIXAL back into the ocean.

"Well, that was fun!" PIXAL laughed, throwing her head back as she brushed some water droplets from her silver hair. "I see what you mean about being more like a teenager and 'letting loose'. For some of the time, it was like I didn't have a care in the world. I was just having genuine fun."

"Good for you, Pix!" Skylor smiled brightly.

"Alright, team," Lloyd gestured to the cloud of fog before them, which seemed to stretch for miles in all directions. "Let's head through this thing."

"Are you sure this will work?" Harumi spoke hesitantly as she floated over to it.

"Stick your hand in and find out," Lloyd shrugged, and Harumi shrugged back before extending her arm. It passed through with ease, and seemed to vanish.

"It feels like it's tickling my arm," Harumi laughed, and the others all stuck their arms inside as well.

"Sticking just our arms in isn't going to be enough," Skylor sighed, before walking inside the fog cloud. The others followed close behind, and their entire surroundings changed. They were most definitely now on an island, with several jungles off in the distance, with a shade of green brighter than Lloyd's gi. The waters surrounding it were sparkling and clear, and were completely the opposite from the ocean waters outside.

Harumi knelt down at the shore and cupped some of that crystal clear water into her hands, before bringing them up to her mouth and drinking it. Her eyes widened, and she waved to the others. "The water is actually _really_ good here! Almost like it's been purified!"

"Well, isn't this a sight for sore eyes," Skylor laughed, placing her hands on her hips as she looked around the island.

"The armor must be somewhere in that jungle," Lloyd assumed, watching as Harumi and PIXAL observed the waters. "We should start moving before-"

"Lloyd!" Harumi's voice called out cheerfully, waving him over. She looked into the eyes of the Green Ninja and smiled brightly. "Try putting your feet in the sand right in this spot. It's so _weird._ "

Lloyd shrugged and slipped off his combat footwear before dipping his right foot in the sand. As soon as it made impact, it seemed to sink Lloyd in before causing him to lose balance and fall on his back with a _thud._ Harumi fell down beside him and laughed, and Lloyd couldn't resist laughing as well. The Green Ninja felt the sand swirl around his toes in a way that almost seemed like the sand was alive. Rather than pulling him in like quicksand, it seemed to shape itself around Lloyd like a comfortable bed.

"Look at you two," Skylor laughed as she and PIXAL stood a few feet away, watching Lloyd and Harumi lying there in the sand. "I believe you said something about _getting a move on,_ Lloyd?" She raised a brow.

"I know, I know," Lloyd put up his hands defensively, attempting to sit up. But the sand pulled him back down, and the Green Ninja struggled a bit before breaking free. "I swear, it's like the sand has a mind of its own…"

"I think you're right," Harumi nodded, a nervous tone in her voice. "Brace yourse-" she was cut off as the sand pulled the two teenagers below the depths of the ground.

" _Ahhhh!"_ Harumi screamed before she felt her shoulder make contact with soft ground. Her body laid there for a few moments before she managed to get up. Looking around, she seemed to have been pulled into some sort of underground tomb. The walls and ground were made of stone. _Then why did I land softly?_ Harumi thought to herself. Looking around, she could see that the same sand from before surrounded her, apparently protecting her from harm. She heard Lloyd's voice in the form of a groan, and she hurried over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Lloyd grunted as he managed to stand up. "Thanks to this s _and_." He looked around, eventually spotting a pathway. "There," he pointed. "The sand brought us down here for a reason. Maybe this is where we can find the Golden Armor."

"Lloyd."

"Yeah?"

"You've got a bit of sand in your hair," She laughed, gaining a smirk from the Green Ninja.

"I've got sand _everywhere_ , actually," Lloyd sighed, tapping the side of his head in order to get rid of the sand that had stuck itself in his ear. "Shall I have this stroll?" He joked. With that, he offered his arm, and she locked her own with his gratefully.

"Whatever you want, Sandy," Harumi rolled her eyes, and the two teens walked side by side down the path. She stroked her fingers through his hair teasingly, removing some of that sand.

* * *

Above the surface, Skylor paced back and forth before stopping to face PIXAL. "Pix, do you think they're alright?"

" _Mhmm_ ," PIXAL nodded. "I can detect both of their life signatures down there, and their heart rates are normal. I believe they will be fine for the time being."

"How are they _fine?_ " Skylor exclaimed. "They were sucked into a bunch of sand!"

"From my scan results, it seems that there is a labyrinth of tunnels and passageways underneath the island. I would assume that early settlers here used them as means of quick travel from one point to another."

"Then let's hope they don't get lost…" Skylor bit her lip, playing nervously with a strand of her bright red hair.

* * *

 **Done! Part 5 is COMPLETED! I am literally so glad I got this finished xD**

 **As for the reviews:**

 **AuroraRain18: As always, your reviews are so fun to read xD Yes, Lloyd has grown up a lot. He's a teenage guy in a house full of teenage girls. You get the picture. And the reviews? Hey, I dunno HOW I get em, I just DO xD But, I'd love for you to get DOUBLE what I have, cuz you're such a great writer :D Thanks again for your support on this story, it means so much.**

 **It'sYourGirl: Cute? Yeah, that's one word for em xD And trust me, YOU. WILL. SHIP. IT. I will make sure of it, before the final chapter of this story! IT WILL HAPPEN!**

 **Elcall: If you have an idea for a fic of your own, you should go for it! :D it's something I'd be interested in reading for sure! Thanks again!**

 **Guest: You're welcome! And thanks :D**

 **legocameragirl: Energetic? That isn't a bad thing! :D Yell all you want in the reviews. That space is yours for the taking xD Thanks so much for enjoying my story. I'm glad you like it!**

 **Marblebird: "Do stop it"? Do you mean to literally stop it? I don't think that's what you meant...I'm just confused xD Anyways, thanks for your review! It means a lot :D**

 **sunny: The kiss scenes are actually kinda tricky to write, cuz you don't want em to be too cliche or weird. You want it just right. Thanks!**

* * *

 **Lastly, I wanna say something.**

 **Jdizzle/J/Jade or whatever your name is, PLEASE do not spam the reviews. I have no problem with getting reviews (obviously - who would?) but I do not want the review section to be one for spam. Yes, I think your requests are good, but I'd prefer to write this story on my own, and let you use your own ideas, okay? Repeatedly spamming the same thing isn't going to change my mind. Not trying to sound rude, but I just want this to stop so neither of us waste time over this. You're always free to comment, but please just keep it spam-free.**

 **Until the next chappie,**

 **~EB**


	6. Part 6

" _9,999,999 bottles of tea on the wall, 999,999,999 bottles of tea…you take one out, you pass it around, 9,999,998 bottle of tea on the wall!"_ Lloyd sang enthusiastically as he and Harumi walked down the passageway of the ancient temple. He noticed the troubled look on the girl's face, and lightly nudged her shoulder. "Come on, Rumi, lighten up! What's on your mind?"

The Green Ninja observed the girl's every movement, how her nose scrunched up and her left fingers played lightly with the hem of her shirt. She bit her bottom lip lightly, and her emerald eyes filled with a certain emotion that Lloyd could only recognize to be worry and concern. "I don't know…" Harumi sighed, her voice shrunk back. "I just…" the white-haired girl's eyes attempted to lock onto every object in her surroundings except for the blonde teen beside her. "The last time we were exploring an ancient temple…"

"We were on opposite sides," Lloyd finished for her. "But not this time, Rumi. You shouldn't worry so much."

"But I _do_ worry!" Harumi let out as her shoulders slumped. "More than you realize. You saw what happened in the garage when I pushed you out of the car…" Her ashamed feelings caused her to forget to hide the pink that rose to her cheeks, and she didn't realize Lloyd's face either. "I get this voice…in my head…" Harumi's hands ran nervously through her snow-white hair. "It tells me to reach out for what I want. It tells me to be selfish…"

"The Oni were the embodiment of evil and destruction," Lloyd answered. "And the Mask of Hatred embodies one of the three most dangerous Oni warlords. Whatever voice you have in your head, you need to _fight_ it. How many times have you _worn_ that thing?"

Harumi shrugged, ashamedly staring down at the ground. "Probably too many…after the first time I wore it, I felt this _power_ inside. It felt good, and…I wanted more. I..I kept wearing it after that, I played around with it in my bedroom sometimes…I felt like I could do _anything._ Like I could _have_ anything…" she trailed off, and her feet stop moving.

"Rumi…" Lloyd rested a hand on her shoulder. "I've been in the same situation. I know how you feel. And I'm willing to help you get through all of this."

After a long silence, the two teens picked up their journey and continued walking. As the quiet grew unbearable, Harumi pierced it with a question. "What did you mean?"

"About what?" Lloyd asked as he looked at her.

"About being in my situation before," she shrugged. "I doubt it has anything to do with the Oni Masks though…"

Lloyd lightly chuckled, lightly brushing off the painful memory. "A few years ago, a bit of time after my father was banished to the Cursed Realm, there was this _guy._ "

"A guy," Harumi repeated, lightly giggling. "And what about this _guy_?"

"He was an… _okay_ guy, I guess…I mean, he was kinda loud sometimes, but still…alright." Lloyd's fake smile soon faded, and he groaned as he threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "Oh, who am I kidding? That guy was _so_ annoying! And rude! And selfish, and prideful, and hateful, and-" He stopped himself and took a breath. " _Anyways_ , he was _not_ a nice guy. Actually, he was my uncle Wu's first student, and you can only _imagine_ why _he_ isn't on the team today."

Harumi's eyes widened. "Did he _die?_ "

Lloyd took a moment to think, letting out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "I guess, in a sense, he did. He wanted to be the Green Ninja. Ever since he heard about it, it had been his dream. But when the Golden Weapons proved that it wasn't his destiny, he grew cold and his heart filled with hatred." Lloyd's voice grew quieter. "His quest to defy destiny drove him to the end of his sadly short life. He eventually became a ghost, and didn't set foot in Ninjago again until another decade or two. When he _did_ come back…"

"He came to the realization that you had already taken the gi," Harumi caught on, continuing for him. "You had already taken his dream."

"He wanted to curse all of Ninjago, and to do that, he _possessed_ my body. That's where the voices came in." The air seemed thinner and the aura darker as Lloyd's mouth grew straighter. "It's a terrible thing to have your own mind inhabited by someone beside yourself."

Harumi nodded, looking down at the ground.

* * *

Above the surface, Skylor and PIXAL sat alone around a small campfire. The sky had turned into a light shade of orange, with some pink thrown in as well. Skylor swatted grudgingly at the mosquitoes that threatened to suck her blood as they buzzed around her head.

"So _annoying_ ," Skylor groaned, hunching over the fire, with legs criss-crossed. "I hate bugs and insects with a _passion_." The redhead looked over at her android companion, who sat with her hands in her lap and her head bent over towards the ground. "Hey, Pix?"

"Yes?" PIXAL responded almost immediately, yet her attention never turned from the ground.

"What's got your attention now?" Skylor laughed, scooting over closer by PIXAL's side. Her eyes widened as she noticed the show PIXAL was watching, as the sand before them danced around in swirls and patterns. "H-how?" Skylor asked, bewildered by this.

PIXAL simply shook her head, her shoulders shrugging lightly. "This is something that goes far beyond what my processor can understand. From what I can assume, the sand probably has some sort of spell over it, just like the rest of the island."

"Like the fog that hid the whole place," Skylor nodded, looking around. "What's next, talking animals?"

"Please," PIXAL laughed. "Don't jinx us."

"That'd be so cool tho-" Skylor stopped suddenly, whipping her head around. In a split second, her senses took in what was happening: the members of Garmadon's Fist invading the shore, the sound of loading guns…it happened so fast. A speeding bullet went hurdling towards the two, narrowly missing Skylor's left cheek. It hit a different mark- the trunk of a palm tree.

" _ **RUN!**_ " Skylor screamed, reaching behind her head to pull her ninja hood over her face, only to be reminded that she was still clothed in her swimsuit, and her weapons were too far to reach without getting shot. Her bare feet took off across the sandy shore, hearing the _hiss_ of bullets whizzing by. Voices screaming "kill them!" could be heard as the men chased after them. Skylor summoned the element of fire into her palm, sending a blazing beam of heat at the men. She didn't even look behind her to see if she met her target. She just kept running.

PIXAL ran up alongside her teammate, her android body having an advantage in speed. "Skylor, we need to make it to the jungle! We can lose them in there!"

Skylor nodded, sprinting furiously towards all the green up ahead. Bullets whizzed by once again, and the Orange Ninja attempted to use the element of Earth to push rocks and other objects in the path of the gunfire behind her. "Come on, PIXAL, just a little further!"

PIXAL didn't respond.

Instead, the sound of a bullet hitting it's mark did. PIXAL let out a small gasp of pain before her metal body hit the ground.

" _ **PIXAL!"**_ Skylor screamed furiously, coming to a stop and rushing back to her fallen friend.

"G-go!" PIXAL commanded weakly. "They'll shoot you too! Go!"

"B-but I can't just leave you!" Skylor felt more bullets whiz by, but she didn't care. She pulled PIXAL's upper body up by the underside of her arms, dragging her quickly and roughly into a shrubbery. Skylor quickly fell to the ground next to PIXAL, throwing greenery and plants on top of herself and PIXAL to hide themselves.

The two remained quiet as they listened to the confused and angry yells of the men looking around for them. The sound of footsteps grew louder and louder until stopping and seeming to go away.

Skylor slowly peeked her head out before her eyes widened and she was met face-to-face with one of Garmadon's Fist. He gave the girl a crooked grin, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out. "Well, hello there, beautiful," He slurred. Skylor noted that he had obviously had one too many drinks today.

Skylor kicked furiously as she fought against his hold, but her body was already so weak from escaping that she didn't have the strength. She eventually surrendered, her body growing more relaxed. "Let _go_ of me," she spat, slamming her foot down in an effort to step on his, but he slid his own foot away in time.

"Well, that ain't a nice way to say hello," the man laughed darkly, turning her body around and pulling her arms behind her back. Skylor's eyes widened as she felt cold metal wrap around her wrists, and she realized that he had pulled out handcuffs on her. As he locked the cuffs, Skylor's heart sank, and she hoped desperately that the man wouldn't look around the plants and find PIXAL.

"How did you find us?" Skylor lashed out, although she knew that resisting was futile at this point. She didn't need to try using her powers to know the cuffs were lined with vengestone.

"Well, we followed ya, of course," the thug snickered, gripping his rough hands on the girl's shoulders, leaning into her ear. "Our spies are _everywhere_ , sweetcake. Garmadon's got an iron hold on this entire _world_." He poked her back a bit. "Now, start walking to the shore. We're taking you to the Emperor."

"What?" Skylor exclaimed, fear rising in her heart. "I thought you came here to _kill_ me."

"Yes, we did, but on second thought, I think I'd like to have ya," he spoke with the same slur. "Garmadon lets his followers have women with us in the palace. Not exactly wives, but…" He searched for the word.

"Slave girls?" Skylor spoke with disgust. "You're _horrible._ "

"This is what the world is now, ginger," The man shrugged. "I'm just choosing to take advantage of it. I'm sure it ain't that bad of a change. Now, like I said, _walk._ "

Skylor trudged sadly with her head hung low over to the shore, where she was met with several more of Garmadon's Fist. They restrained her tightly as they loaded her aboard their aircraft. Looking around, Skylor saw even more armed men as she was sat down on one of the benches. Mr. Ugly Face (as Skylor now named him) sat next to her, and another one of Garmadon's Fist sat on the other side of her, sandwiching her between the two.

"Welcome aboard the _Fool's Gold_ , ninja!" One of the men, supposedly the pilot, mocked her, looking over his shoulder at her from the front seat. He turned his eyes to Ugly Face. "Not sure how Garmadon is gonna like you bringing her back alive, Wade. He wanted their heads."

"But she can't hurt anybody with those cuffs on, man!" Wade/Ugly Face put up his hands defensively. "Besides, boss said I could take whatever girl I wanted."

"Whatever morals you monsters live by, it's insulting and disgusting," Skylor rolled her eyes, venom practically pouring from her words. "You just take any woman you want beyond their will. Without laws or respect, the world will be chaos."

"So?" Wade blew it off, shrugging. "I'm getting paid, I'm getting power, and I'm getting a cute girl as a bonus. I think we're all having better lives this way."

"A _bonus?_?" Skylor nearly screamed at him, her wrists fighting against the cuffs. "I'm a living _being_!"

"Shut _up!_ " the driver yelled back, leaning back in his seat as he flipped some switches. "Honestly, for ninja, I thought you kids would be more _quiet_."

"I'm no average ninja," Skylor smirked, her fingers playing around with the cuffs behind her back. _Stupid SoG…_ she thought to herself smugly. _They should know the correct way to cuff an Elemental Master with vengestone is on the lower wrists._ Instead, the cuffs were rested rather roughly around Skylor's forearms, which did practically nothing to block the elemental powers surging through her. _Now, I just need to wait for the perfect moment to break out of here and rearrange Mr. Ugly Face's face!_

"Alright, boys, we're clear for takeoff," the driver called back, gripping the flight controls as the aircraft slowly ascended off of the ground. A low w _hirrrr c_ ame from the ship as it began moving, and Skylor could feel different engines and mechanisms below her feet vibrating through the floor.

As the turbines converted into a forwards position, the aircraft jolted forward, only to be pulled back suddenly by a large pull. A huge _thud_ echoed in inside the craft, and the eyes of the Garmadon's Fist members widened.

"That is never a good sign," one of the men garbled, nervously gripping his blaster rifle.

The pilot opened the side window, and stuck his head out, looking towards the shoreline. Sure enough, there was a figure with silver hair dressed in a swimsuit, with a grappling wire connected from her wrist to the hull of the craft. Her feet digging deep into the sand, she did her best to hold it back.

"It's the other one!" Wade yelled, getting up with his blaster in hand. "She's holding the craft back, we need a kill shot!" He slammed his fist against a button on the wall, opening the entrance ramp. He kneeled into a sniper position, looking through the scope as he focused his aim on PIXAL, who was straining too hard with the grappling cable to notice the threat.

"No!" Skylor yelled, standing up with a jolt and running at Wade, hands still cuffed. As his finger pulled the trigger, the lazer bullet grazed PIXAL's shoulder. Before he could fire again, Skylor ran up to him and lifted her arms over his head, getting the chains of the cuffs caught around his neck as she pulled him down.

She heard the yells of the other men as they ran at her and struggled to pull her away or get Wade free, but her grip was strong as she held him there helplessly. She looked down on the shore, where PIXAL had recovered from the shot and continued holding the craft back. _Whatever upgrades she gave herself, super strength must have been one of them,_ Skylor thought to herself. PIXAL held the craft back fiercely, her teeth gritted tightly as she concentrated all of her strength into making sure they didn't get away.

Skylor heard the _click_ of guns loading, and her head whipped around to the sight of four other men standing above her with blasters ready to fire at her. "Let Wade go, and stand down!" one of the men yelled. "Or else, you're a dead girl."

Skylor's eyes narrowed at them, her hands gripping on Wade's head. "Try anything, and this man's head is going to be a block of ice! Or a pile of ash! Whichever I decide on. So, I'd put the guns down if I were you."

"She's bluffing!" One of the men yelled to the others, yet his voice seemed to quiver a bit. "She has vengestone cuffs on!"

"Watch me," Skylor hissed, her grip getting tighter on his head before shards of ice began spraying from her fingertips, and Wade's head slowly began becoming encased with a thick coat of ice. Down his forehead, around the back of his head, over his cheeks…Skylor almost wanted to stop and save him the pain. But she didn't stop.

"Shoot her now!" One of the men yelled, firing at Skylor. Instead of the bullet hitting the Orange Ninja, Skylor lifted the cuffs up higher, allowing the bullet to break the chains. She lept to her feet, throwing Wade to the ground, with the layer of ice almost covering his entire face. As one of the men lifted his gun, Skylor sent a high kick that sent the gun flying out of his hands. She extended her palms, using the power of smoke to fire a smoke cloud that engulfed the inside of the ship. Using the power of light allowed her to see what the men of Garmadon's Fist could not.

She quickly unarmed each of the men before taking out each of them with either one of the elements or with a kick or punch. As the smoke dispersed, she walked casually towards the ramp before jumping off, using Airjitzu to slow down the fall. Behind her, she fired a beam of concentrated heat, slamming into one of the two large turbines. She could hear the explosion as she hit the ground, and as she turned around she could see the craft slowly begin to fall back to the ground.

"Pix!" Skylor yelled frantically. "You need to put the ship in the water! If it crashes on the shore, it'll start a fire!"

PIXAL nodded, simply letting go of the grapple wire. The ship jolted forward as it slowly descended into the water, crashing into the water with a huge splash. "Skylor, aren't you concerned if the lives of those men are at risk?"

"It's a ship. It floats," Skylor rolled her eyes as she walked off towards the campfire, leaving a confused and concerned PIXAL standing alone by the shoreline.

Sure enough, the ship was built in with a floating feature, and it came back up above the water. Soon after, PIXAL noticed different engines start, and the craft sped off on the water, probably retreating back to Garmadon.

* * *

After much exploration of the temple, Lloyd and Harumi came across a hidden tunnel that led to a chamber where the Golden Armor was most certainly held. Sitting there in a lazer case, it glimmered in the light from the torch Lloyd held in his hand.

The armor seemed all-too familiar to the blonde as he felt so many memories come back to him.

 _The Overlord…_

 _My golden power…_

 _Zane's sacrifice…_

Despite how necessary this armor was, for both Lloyd and Harumi's sakes, Lloyd always got a knot in the pit of his stomach just looking at it. The frame of the armor resembled a ragged ribcage, kind of like what Lloyd painted on his black hoodie on a child, when he wanted to be like his father, Lord Garmadon. To be honest, he and Harumi were similar in a lot more ways that he had originally cared to admit. They had both lived unfortunate lives up to this point, and Lloyd swore to fix that with this armor.

"It's _beautiful_ ," Harumi breathed, looking at it as well. "The gold from the Golden Weapons melted into one piece of all-powerful armor…the same armor the Overlord wore, right?"

"Yeah," Lloyd nodded. "Now, it's really cool and all, but we need to get it and get out of here quickly. Skylor and PIXAL have been up on the surface alone for a while. Plus, the sooner we get off of this creepy island, the better."

Harumi nodded in agreement, but her shoulders remained slumped as she scratched her chin in thought. "So, how do you plan on getting it out of those lasers?"

"Stop rushing me, Rumi," Lloyd joked, looking around the chamber, running his hands along markings that littered the walls. "I'm a bit rusty at the Stone Wars Era hieroglyphics, but I may be able to get the gist of what all of this says."

"Did you research all that after the whole Final Battle thing or something?" Harumi asked, smiling.

"Nah," Lloyd shrugged. "My mom taught me a lot of it a few years ago. After my dad… _passed…_ she was really caught up with her work. She's a historian and researcher, and she needed a temporary assistant with deciphering old messages and scrolls for a bit. So she taught me the basics, and I picked up the rest." He ran his fingers across a specific section of the wall, and motioned for Harumi to come over. "Those aren't lasers, Rumi."

"They aren't?" Harumi asked, bewildered. She turned around to look at the encased armor. "Looks a lot like it."

"Just cuz that armor was put here by Borg doesn't mean he had to add any more security or traps. This temple held several historic artifacts from years past, but those were already taken out of the temple and put in museums and such. Since there was a perfectly good temple sitting here, Borg used this chamber to hold the armor. Those "lasers" are actually rays of Golden Power, placed there by my grandfather."

"The First Spinjitzu Master _really_ didn't want anyone getting whatever they originally held here," Harumi laughed. "So, if the original artifact was removed, there must be a way to get the armor, right? Does it say how?"

"I believe so," Lloyd nodded, looking along the walls again. "You see that bowl sitting there on that table there?" He pointed to a small table at the side of the room, and Harumi's eyes widened.

"How long was _that_ there?"

"It w _asn't_ ," Lloyd explained. "This is part of the test. Take the bowl and kneel there on the rug by the pedestal holding the armor."

"Another thing that wasn't there before," Harumi rolled her eyes as she took the bowl over to the rug, kneeling down. As soon as her body relaxed, a few of the golden rays fired at her. Harumi screamed, only to find that the rays caused a surge of energy throughout her body rather than harming her.

"Concentrate, Rumi," Lloyd spoke calmly in her ear as he kneeled beside her. "Feel the bowl."

"I am."

"Feel that power inside."

"I am."

"Now release it into the bowl. Just a bit."

Harumi obeyed, feeling the bowl shake a bit before a small tornado of earth and rock swirled around inside the bowl. She laughed, bending the powers a bit to create another element inside of the bowl – lightning.

As this happened, several more golden rays shot into Harumi, but she didn't seem to notice. As she continued forming the elements in the bowl, more rays surged into her, making the armor almost within reach.

She formed the element of ice inside the bowl once more before finally forming a spark of fire inside the bowl, and the remainder of the rays were sent into Harumi's body.

"Hold it, Rumi!" Lloyd assured her, slowly reaching out for the armor. As his fingertips grazed the golden armor, Harumi let out a wince of pain as the power became too much.

" _ **Lloyd, it hurts now!"**_ she screamed, that old voice from the Mask of Hatred showing through her speech again. Lloyd's heart sank.

 _The Mask of Hatred's dark spirit inside of her is fighting against the Golden Power…_

 _This is going to go wrong…_

 _She could_ _ **die**_!

"Rumi!" Lloyd yelled, forgetting the armor and rushing to her side. "You need to let go of the bowl!" His own hands gripped the bowl, but the power began to hurt him as well, sending pain between both of their bodies. "HARUMI, LET GO IT IT!"

" _ **Lloyd, I can do this!"**_ she yelled, pushing him away from the surging power. _**"Take the armor!"**_

Lloyd hesitantly nodded, rushing over to the pedestal before grabbing the armor and running out of range of the Golden Power. "Let go of it now, Rumi!"

As her fingers finally collapsed, and the bowl fell to the ground, a bright golden light burst from her chest, releasing back into the pedestal in the form of the gold beams. Harumi let out shaky breaths as she gasped for air on the ground. Lloyd was at her side in an instant, and she looked up at him with a weak smile. "I hope that was _worth it,_ jerk."

"Sorry," Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck. "I should have warned you first. To be fair, I didn't know for sure what would happen, but…it's still my fault that that happened."

"Don't worry about it," Harumi assured him with a sweet smile. "I've been through worse. And besides, we got the armor. Yay." She pumped her fist in the air weakly, and Lloyd chuckled.

"Alright, miss, I'm getting you out of here before we keep hurting ourselves," Lloyd helped the girl up, wrapping his arm around her to support her as she walked. On their way out of the temple, they had less conversation, but this was due to the swirling thoughts that began going through their heads. Everything was _finally_ looking up…

* * *

Thanks to the help of the weird magical sand, Lloyd and Harumi found an exit out of the temple, and they finally inhaled fresh air for the first time in what felt like a week. Looking around, they finally spotted their teammates, who sat by the campfire.

"Skylor! Pix!" Lloyd called, waving his hand in the air as he caught their attention. Skylor waved the two over, and Lloyd helped rest Harumi down on one of the wood logs they used for seats. As soon as he got her settled, much to Harumi's gratitude, he looked over at his friends and nearly gasped at the sight of them.

Skylor's face was tired and worn, her red hair a mess, and she had a few small cuts and bruises along her legs and arms. But PIXAL…poor PIXAL sat there with a bullet hole in her stomach, as well as in her shoulder.

"What _happened?_ " Lloyd exclaimed frantically, standing up to look over PIXAL's damages.

"Garmadon's Fist was here," Skylor sighed, staring off into the distant water. "They had guns…"

"And they did _this?_ " Lloyd held PIXAL's arm, observing the hole in her shoulder, then the one in her stomach. "Did they shoot you too?"

"No," Skylor shook her head. "They would have, had this one jerk not taken me aboard their ship to make me his s _lave girl_." Her eyes narrowed. "Fortunately, he was really bad at using vengestone cuffs, and I managed to escape before shooting their aircraft out of the sky."

"So they drowned in the ocean?" Lloyd assumed.

"No," Skylor groaned. "Their ship was a watercraft, too. They retreated, probably back to Garmadon if they have enough fuel. I…I could have blown up the whole ship if I wanted to, I just…I couldn't…"

Lloyd nodded. "You did the right thing, Skylor. Taking the lives of those men would make us no better than they are. Not unless war truly comes to Ninjago will I shed blood."

"Well, that may be what's coming," Harumi pointed out, folding her arms. "If they get back to Garmadon, he'll know where we are. And he's already hunting down every ally you have, Lloyd."

"Well, we're definitely not staying here," Lloyd chuckled, standing up. "Pix, can you walk?"

"Yes," PIXAL nodded. "I didn't take on too much heavy damage from the gunfire. Nothing I can't fix back at the apartment."

"Or that _I_ can't fix," a voice boomed over a loudspeaker, and the ninja whipped their heads around to face the sound. Sure enough, there was Cyrus Borg captaining a large boat near the shore. "Need a lift?"

"Cyrus, where did you get _that_?" Skylor exclaimed, standing up.

"I'm a billionaire, my dear!" Cyrus laughed. "I have a _ton_ of vehicles! Now, if you'd like to get to the Dark Island before Garmadon gets _here_ , you may want to come aboard!"

Lloyd laughed, helping Harumi up as he once again wrapped his arm around her to help her walk over to the ship, while Skylor helped PIXAL.

"Cyrus, if you're here, then who is watching over Nya?" Skylor asked.

"Ronin is watching over her, as well as some of my security nindroids that I left in the apartment," Cyrus assured her.

As they boarded the ship, Skylor quickly took controls as Cyrus took PIXAL below deck to help get her repaired. Harumi moved to the kitchen to make some dinner. Lloyd moved into the same room, but instead to examine the Golden Armor which they had finally obtained.

As Lloyd's eyes got lost in that gold, that same golden power he once held in his own hands, he felt a cold, soft hand on his chin. Harumi moved his head to face her, and smiled at him. "Don't get lost on me there," she muttered, as if she had wanted to say something clearly to him, but had instantly gotten lost herself. This time, in his eyes. Though they were no longer that shade of bright green she loved, they were still so soft and kind.

"Rumi, we did this," Lloyd smiled, referring to the Golden Armor they had obtained. "We make a great team, don't we?"

"I couldn't agree more," Harumi lovingly stared deeper into his eyes, then observed the rest of his face – his lips, his strong chin, his messy blonde hair…before either of them knew it, her full red lips pressed against his, and almost just as fast Harumi pulled away. He looked at her with a loving smile, and she did the same. Then their lips reconnected, for a much longer amount of time this time around. Lloyd grabbed her hand and placed it on the table, resting his own hand on hers. Their kiss still in full effect, they sat there, and for a brief moment everything seemed at peace for the two.

Almost like they didn't have a long road ahead.

Almost like their world wasn't under hold of an evil warlord.

Almost like they weren't running for their lives.

Almost as if everything was fine.

* * *

 _ **They were wrong…**_

 **Well, there ya go, everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter for Redemption. I am seriously in the zone for this story, and you have no idea how excited I get when I finally finish a chapter to share with all of you!**

 **As for the reviews...**

 **Melodie in My Heart: YOU WILL! YOU WILL, I SWEAR. And thanks, friend :D**

 **MarbleBird: Thanks for supporting and enjoying my work!**

 **Mariah: Yes, I have seen that trailer and the new official one in English. I'm hyped, are you? :D**

 **legocameragirl: Really glad you're enjoying this, and super excited for your story to continue! Thanks!**

 **Jade: I won't judge xD**

 **SkyDreamer12: I have a feeling the writers have not forgotten about the armor, they're just waiting til the perfect time to bring it back. Thanks!**

 **LenoreFan: Harumi had a pretty messed up life, yeah. But no one in this story is without blame, and that includes both Lloyd and Harumi. It's a good thing we can learn to forgive, right? xD**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **~EB**


	7. Part 7

After about a day's journey, the team managed to dodge any of Garmadon's attacks and made it to the Dark Island. As soon as Lloyd stepped foot on the island, he got a knot in the pit of his stomach, very much like what the Golden Armor gave him.

"Alright, well if this is the Dark Island, where's the Temple of Light?" Skylor asked impatiently, but no one blamed her. They were extremely pressed for time.

"It's on a mountain, between the peaks," Lloyd trailed off, pulling something out. He held a rusted gold medallion in his hand, raising it up and holding it to the sun. "I knew holding onto this thing would be helpful sometime down the road." He looked through the holes, searching the distance until he found the location that matched up with the three points. "There," he pointed, "is where we need to take this armor."

"That's pretty far," Cyrus whistled. "Could be quite a few hours before you get there."

"I know," Lloyd sighed. "But it's the only way. Cyrus, you stay here as a lookout in case my father sends out any of his men after us. Girls, get changed into your gear, and we can get a move on."

"I definitely will, thank you," Skylor laughed lightly. "This bathing suit is _not_ suitable for fighting in."

"I brought all of your suits, gear, and weapons from the apartment," Cyrus spoke, leading the teenagers over to a large chest. As he opened it, sure enough there were the team's suits. Skylor's orange and maroon gi, with added gun metal armor, PIXAL's Samurai X armor, Lloyd's bright green gi, and another outfit for Harumi.

"And Lloyd, I brought those 'upgrades' you requested," Cyrus nudged Lloyd knowingly, and the Green Ninja smirked gratefully.

Lloyd pulled out his ninja gi, but to the surprise of the others, it wasn't his normal one he had started wearing a bit of time before the whole Sons of Garmadon thing started. This new gi was lined with many new silver highlights and details all over the front of the suit, but some of the traditional green gi showed through. But the largest difference was definitely the dark green armor added on in the form of torso armor, kneepads, and back armor. The sleeves were the same deep shade of green, and the same gun metal shoulder armor from his previous suit was rested on the left shoulder of the suit.

"Nice," Harumi smiled, looking the gi over. "Decided to go with something new? I don't think I've ever seen you in so much…"

"Armor?" Lloyd chuckled, finishing for her. "Yeah, but it really was necessary. With all the guns that my father's soldiers have on them, protection is something I needed to add. Swift reflexes can only do so much." He turned to Skylor. "I had armor added to your gi as well, Sky. Not as much, cuz I know you need some 'room to move' but it will protect yourself from their gunfire a lot better. And PIXAL already wears plenty of armor."

"Yeah, if I was wearing my suit when I was shot, I wouldn't have taken so much damage," PIXAL smiled shyly. "Luckily, I don't typically wear a bathing suit when fighting men with guns."

"What about me?" Harumi laughed nervously. "There's another outfit in the chest. Is that for me?"

"Ah, yes," Cyrus nodded, reaching into the chest. "Another one of Master Lloyd's requests." He pulled out a dark grey gi, with black details and leggings, as well as some dark green details on the torso and skirt. "Complete with protective armor and shoulder pad," Cyrus added, handing her the outfit.

"A ninja gi?" Harumi asked humorously. "I mean, it's great, but I'm not a ninja or anything…"

"You are now," Lloyd spoke simply, handing her one of his katanas. "Wear the gi with pride, Harumi. You're one of us."

* * *

Ronin sat quietly on the couch as he absorbed himself in the morning paper, reading over the sports section of course. It had been over a day since Borg had left him in charge of the apartment and Nya, although part of that responsibility was also placed on the security nindroids that the inventor had left behind. They weren't really talkers, and only spoke to give Ronin a regular scan report every so often. One of the nindroids was stood over by Nya's unconscious form on the bed, trying its best to help her body heal from all the damage.

Speaking of the Water Ninja, she had woken from her slumber a few times during the day, mostly asking Ronin for a sip of water or a bit of food. Her body was still mostly immovable, but she managed to regain movement of her upper body some, specifically her neck, head, and arms. Ronin had moved a television from downstairs in front of her bed so she could watch, and she was constantly under supervision by the nindroids.

Ronin didn't mind the metal men marching around the apartment that much, as long as they didn't mess with his stuff and gave him his space. He spent his downtime tinkering with machinery and smuggling parts and resources from the lower levels of the city. Borg had left behind the blueprints for this "Borg-spine" invention that he was working on for Nya, and from what Ronin could tell, it was nearly finished. Completing the invention had become Ronin's biggest priority. They needed Nya back in action more than ever.

It was while Ronin was reading the morning paper that Nya's body suddenly jolted violently, and the raven-haired girl sat up abruptly, a shrill gasp escaping her throat. As she panted heavily, trying desperately to catch her breath, the nindroid put in charge of her rushed over to her, trying to hold her back down. She simply pushed him aside as she continues taking heavy breaths.

"Nya!" Ronin exclaimed, dropping the paper and jogging over to the girl. "Are you alright? You look like you had quite a dream."

"Yes- *gasp* actually…" She panted, her chest heaving as she slowly regained her breath. "I *gasp* had the weirdest dream and *gasp* I felt a surge of energy return to my body. Something I haven't felt since before we lost Jay or Kai…" Her eyes widened. "Ronin, what if they're alive?"

" _What_?" Ronin sputtered, nearly laughing at the Water Ninja. "Nya, you heard what Lloyd said about it. Both he and Harumi can tell you what happened. They were right there when the Oni Titan crushed the _Bounty_."

"But what if they weren't crushed with it?" Nya wondered out loud, looking around the room in thought. "What if they survived somehow? What if they got off of the ship before it was crushed?"

"Nya, I think you should lie back down…" Ronin started, attempting to move the girl back down, but she pushed him away. "Besides, if they _were_ still alive, wouldn't we _know_? I mean, we would have found them by now."

"What if they're faking their deaths?" Nya poked his chest with her finger. "So that Garmadon would think there were only a few of us left!" She grabbed Ronin's shoulders, staring at him dead-on. "I can _feel_ my brother's presence, Ronin. Far from here, somewhere else. But I can't deny what I feel, it has to be him! We've always had this connection since we both learned to use our elemental powers. A few years ago, our bond was so strong that we could _fuse_ our dragons into one. He might be alive, Ronin, and I need to find him. If Kai is still alive, there's a chance that Jay, Cole, Zane, and baby Wu are too."

"So you're leaving on some _quest_?" Ronin sighed, holding the bridge of his nose. "Nya, you're badly injured. You can't even walk."

" _Bet!"_ Nya shouted at him, getting out of the bed with ease. She stood casually in front of him, then began walking around. "See, genius? I'm _fine._ "

"You're not gonna let me stop you, are ya?" Ronin sighed. When Nya shook her head, he continued, "At least try this invention that Borg left for you." He pulled it out, holding it up for her to see. "It's an artificial spine add-on that can work to help heal your back as well as give you the normal function of a healed spine. It may make you a bit less agile at times, but it's better than nothing."

Nya shrugged, grabbing the invention and walking off towards her room to put it on. "Whatever, Ronin. But I'm only doing this because you're so _paranoid._ "

* * *

After much travelling, the team – Lloyd, Harumi, Skylor, and PIXAL – arrived at the Temple of Light before sundown. It was left almost exactly the same as it had been when Lloyd last had been here. It had never been dusted or polished up, because Lloyd preferred to leave it's ancient, rustic feel.

Pushing past the large wooden doors, Lloyd led the girls inside the large temple, breathing in the scent of dirt and dust as he walked around. "Welcome to the Temple of Light, I guess," he shrugged, a smirk on his face.

"Wow," Harumi breathed, looking around the large room. "This is where you're gonna get your Golden Powers back?"

"That's the plan," PIXAL shrugged, an uneasiness in her voice. "I can't say with 100% honesty or knowingness that this will work, but I think it's worth attempting." Her eyes glowed for a second as she ran a scan over the building. "I'd say it's about…78% perhaps?"

"That leftover 22% doesn't mean much," Lloyd shrugged, moving his way over to the center of the room, inside of the large golden circle on the floor. An image depicting a dragon's head was placed at the center of that circle lined in green. Pulling out the Golden Armor, he looked up at the large bell hung on the ceiling- The Instrument of Peace.

Harumi walked along the walls, looking over the different pictures of events that had been foretold and came true. From the creation of Ninjago all the way to where she was now, the walls told it all. She came across one particular image, and flinched. There was drawn quite clearly the Great Devourer, striking Ninjago City. It was almost as if Harumi could see her parents helplessly standing in fear on the ground below, as flames engulfed their bodies.

 _Don't think like that,_ Harumi scolded herself, shaking her head. _That's all in the past now._

 _ **But you can still avenge them…**_ the Mask of Hatred's snarling voice returned inside of her head, and Harumi shivered in fear. _**The ninja trust you now. You can use that to your advantage.**_

 _No! They're my friends! I would never hurt them!_

 _ **But just a few weeks ago you would have hurt anyone of them without a second thought…what changed?**_

 _I don't know…but I don't want to hurt them anymore. They're my family now._

 _ **Lloyd released the Serpentine. The Serpentine released the Devourer. The Devourer killed your parents. Get the picture?**_

 _He was just a child! He was no better than me, he didn't know any better! He was led down the wrong path. And the ninja TRIED to stop the Devourer. You can't blame them for trying._

 _ **But they weren't fast enough. They didn't fight hard enough. And they needed Lord Garmadon to finish the job for them.**_

 _People die._

 _ **So that's it? You just give up on avenging your parents' deaths? Because "people die"?**_

 _I cared about them a lot, yes. I loved them. But they would want me to move on and not let hatred build up inside because of what happened._

 _ **That's my name. Hatred.**_

 _Yes, I know, and I'd like for you to kindly LEAVE now._

 _ **No can do. You let me in, and I'm here to stay. Thanks for the body, by the way.**_

Harumi tried her best to fight back against Hatred, but it soon took over her being once more, and her shoulders relaxed as the entity took control.

"Rumi, are you ready for this?" Lloyd caught the girl's attention, with a huge smile on his face.

"Of course!" Harumi/Hatred spoke sweetly, walking closer to him to watch.

"So what exactly are you going to do to make this work?" Skylor asked, brushing some of her red hair behind her ear. As she watched Lloyd hold the armor closer, her eyes widened. "You're gonna put it on? Lloyd, what if it kills you?"

"To any normal person, it would, yeah," Lloyd nodded with a smirk. "But I'm part Oni, part Dragon, a _nd_ I have the power of my grandfather in my veins. I just need to access it again." He took a deep breath, looked around at his friends, and slowly placed the armor on, finding that it fit rather nicely. _That's interesting…it was made for the Overlord, yet it fits me just right. This surely must be destiny…_

Building up his energy, Lloyd ran up to one of the large pillars, jumping up and pushing himself off, flying himself at the Instrument of Peace. With a strong kick, Lloyd banged against the large bell, falling back to the ground in the center of the room. The sound of the bell was like an angelic choir as it rang peacefully over the Dark Island, and a beam of great light shot down from the bell on Lloyd.

"It's working!" Skylor exclaimed, and a great wind overcame her, nearly pushing her back. It filled the room, seeming to be coming from Lloyd himself. The light was so bright and concealing that it hid Lloyd completely from sight.

Inside the beam of light, Lloyd felt the armor react to the power, and he felt the familiar golden energy fill himself. The armor began shaking a bit, but Lloyd could do little to stop it. As the shaking became worse and worse, it finally burst, shattering into tiny pieces. Lloyd assumed this was because the power had been taken out of the armor, rendering it useless now.

He closed his eyes tightly and reached his arms out wide as he surrendered to the power, feeling it course through his blood. It felt amazing to have all of that power back once more, finally feeling the power of the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master once more.

Harumi/Hatred watched from beside one of the pillars, with the two voices conflicting against each other violently. Harumi tried her hardest to regain control, but Hatred had a strong hold over her.

 _ **Nice try, Harumi. I'm stronger than you are. I always have been, always will be.**_

 _Just…don't do anything wrong or anything like that, alright?_

 _ **Oh, but that's the fun part. You know what Lloyd wants to do with that Golden Power, right?**_

 _He's going to defeat his father._

 _ **And?**_

 _And get rid of you, I guess._

 _ **Bingo. Do you think I'm gonna ALLOW that?**_

 _Nope, but even if you're stronger than I am, Lloyd is stronger than you. You lose, Hatred._

 _ **We'll see about that…**_

As the light finally dispersed and the Instrument of Peace stood still, Lloyd emerged slowly, his head hung low as he looked over his body, which glowed lightly with the golden energy. As he looked up, he caught eye contact with Harumi, and it was then that both she and Hatred noticed his eyes glowing with that same golden energy.

As the energy finally ceased glowing and relaxed inside of his body, so did Lloyd's eyes, leaving them as a golden color instead of the brown. His mouth finally relaxed into a smile, and the girls cheered as they ran up to him, and the four heroes captured each other in a hug.

"It worked!" Skylor celebrated, nearly jumping up and down like a little girl on a sugar rush. "It w _orked_!"

"Analyzing body systems," PIXAL spoke as she ran a scan over Lloyd before smiling. "Your body is not only radiating from head to toe with Golden Elemental Energy, but is also the most healthy it's ever been."

"I _feel_ amazing," Lloyd laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had almost forgot what it felt like. It's been so long…" He looked over at Harumi, smiling at her. "I can finally heal you, Rumi."

" _And_ we stand a much larger chance of defeating Garmadon!" Skylor cheered, excited as could be. "No more hiding in the city, we can just have Lloyd charging into Garmadon's palace and take him down, no questions asked."

"We still need to give Lloyd time to adjust to his Golden Power," PIXAL pointed out, but she still seemed as excited as Skylor was. "But yes, I feel good about this too."

 _Here we go, Hatred,_ Harumi thought smugly, mentally sticking her tongue out at the entity.

Instead of firing back another comeback or insult, Hatred took control over Harumi's body and ran up to Lloyd, punching him square in the jaw.

"What was _that_ for?" Skylor demanded, rushing over to Lloyd.

Instead of answering the Orange Ninja's question, Harumi/Hatred made a break for the exit, running as fast as she could. She pushed past the doors and rushed outside, leaving the others there dumbfounded.

"She's running!" PIXAL yelled, chasing after the white-haired girl.

"But…why?" Lloyd asked, shocked by the sudden behavior, rubbing his jaw slightly from the bruise she had given him.

"I don't know, but I'm not letting her get away," Skylor shook her head as she ran outside as well, catching the girl out of the corner of her eye. Harumi had began making her descent down the mountain, and Skylor wasn't going to let that happen. Using the element of wind, Skylor almost effortlessly pulled Harumi back up, throwing her onto the ground in front of the temple.

PIXAL grabbed Harumi's arms and held them behind her back, holding her down. Harumi/Hatred became a screaming, kicking mess- something Lloyd didn't expect out of her.

"Rumi, are you okay?" Lloyd asked frantically, concerned for the girl.

"It must be the Mask of Hatred's effects on her acting up again," PIXAL guessed, continuing to hold the girl down.

"Lloyd, you need to do your thing quickly then!" Skylor pointed out, and Lloyd helped PIXAL drag Harumi back inside to the center of the room.

Lloyd had her sat down while PIXAL and Skylor held her there, and he began the process of healing. Placing his hands on her shoulders, his power connected with her, and he closed his eyes. He felt the light, the happiness, the peace…all the good things that his power made him feel, and reflected them into a radiant burst of light into Harumi.

 _ **AH!**_ Hatred screamed inside of Harumi, losing control of her. _**You fool! Stop this now!**_

 _This is what I need!_ Harumi yelled back mentally, surrendering to Lloyd's powers. _It's about time you hit the road!_

 _ **You need me, Harumi. You're nothing without me!**_

 _I'd rather be nothing than be like you._ Harumi spoke stubbornly, feeling a peace fill her as the light dispersed Hatred from her mind, her spirit, and her whole being. The entity screamed helplessly as it vanished, and Harumi smiled peacefully as Lloyd's hands were removed from her shoulders, and she fell into his arms weakly. "Thank you," she whispered, and he hugged her closer.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Nya looked up at the clock as she sat alone on a seat in Mystake's Tea Shop. The elderly lady was in the back sorting her teas as Nya lost herself in thought. She had come here demanding Mystake about everything that had happened that night before the Oni Titan crushing the _Bounty_ , but as expected, she spoke in riddles and told Nya basically nothing.

Nya couldn't deny what she felt. Kai was _alive._ She _knew_ it. She just needed something, anything as proof that he was alive and well so she could be at peace with this. It dug at her mind like a wild animal clawing at its prey, and she hated it.

"Would you like some hot tea, dear?" Mystake's voice rang in Nya's ear, bringing her back to reality. The older woman stood with a cup of tea in each hand, a kind smile on her face.

"Yes, thank you," Nya spoke politely, yet she was still a bit ticked that Mystake wouldn't tell her anything. She took the tea gratefully, lifting the cup to her lips to take a sip.

"So dear," Mystake started, sitting down next to the girl. "What would you wish to know?"

"I've been _telling_ you for the past _hour_ , Mystake." Nya groaned, setting her head in her hands. "You gave Jay a paper bag filled with tea before they left, right? Said something about 'to go' or something like that. What kind of tea was it?"

Mystake smiled mysteriously, shrugging her shoulders. "I always have it labeled as 'To Go' tea in the back."

"So, what does that _mean?_ " Nya asked, frustrated.

Mystake sipped from her tea before answering. "When you are in a mess and need to go somewhere else, the tea takes you…"

"So…" Nya thought for a moment. "If the guys were 'in a mess' when the Oni Titan was crushing the _Bounty_ , was that what it was for?" Her eyes widened. "The tea took them somewhere else when they were in a mess…the tea teleports people to places."

"Not _places,_ Nya," Mystake shook her head. " _A_ place."

" _What_ place?" Nya almost yelled, eagerly wanting to know more.

Mystake looked around the room as if making sure no one was listening in before pointing to the back room, specifically to some ancient pictures on the wall.

Nya squinted as she tried to make something out of the picture, but failed. "A person, maybe? And I'm pretty sure that's a dragon…"

"Mhmm…" Mystake nodded, sipping from her tea again. "You weren't here when I told Lloyd and Jay the tale…"

"What tale?" Nya asked.

"The tale…of the Oni and the Dragon." Mystake looked off into the distance mysteriously. "The very first realm."

"Is _that_ where the tea took the guys?" Nya asked.

Mystake shrugged. "The tea takes the user to wherever they are needed. And I am certain that they are needed there."

"Needed?" Nya asked, bewildered. "They are needed _here,_ Mystake! _I_ need them here! Will they ever be _back?_ "

"Only time will tell," Mystake looked at the younger girl apologetically. "But I know for certain that they will not come back until they fulfill the tasks they are needed for there. If they succeed, then they will be back. If they fail, then…well you get the point, dear."

"This is amazing," Nya breathed, barely managing to contain her excitement. "I need to tell the others! The guys are alive! Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, Wu…they're all _alive_!" She laughed, capturing Mystake in a hug. This was very odd from Nya, but the elderly lady had seen weirder things, and so she hugged the girl back.

"Thank you for telling me, Mystake," Nya smiled as she made her way to the door.

"You're welcome, Nya," Mystake smiled back. "Oh, and dear?"

"Yes?" Nya stopped and turned back to the lady.

"Tell the boys I said hello."

Nya smiled, nodding. Hopefully if the guys finished this "task" soon, she could tell them soon enough. With that in mind, she hurried back home, her heart lifted.

* * *

"YEAHHHHH!" Harumi laughed as she felt the rushing wind blow past her as she rode on the back of Lloyd's Golden Dragon. She held her arms tightly around his waist, because apparently the blonde _really_ enjoyed pushing the limits of how fast his dragon could fly. Skylor and PIXAL were seated behind her, while Borg took his ship back to a nearby harbor, promising to meet back at the apartment later.

As New Ninjago City came back within sight, Skylor pointed ahead. "I can see it now! We're almost home!"

PIXAL scanned the surrounding areas, nodding. "Yes, and that is exactly why we should cease use of the dragon here and take the rest of the journey to the apartment on foot. We don't want to gain any attention."

Lloyd nodded, swooping the dragon in low to a near-empty parking lot and allowing everyone to get off before releasing his hold on the dragon and it disappeared into tiny golden particles. He pulled his ninja hood over his face, and gestured for the others to do the same.

Harumi pulled her hood over her head slowly, experiencing the feel of it for the first time. She observed the ninja gi Lloyd had given her, and how it fit on her. It actually was a nice fit, with a bit of room to grow into over time. It was much different than anything she had ever worn before. Her princess dress was, well, what you would expect from a dress. Her casual clothes were much more comfortable, as were her Quiet One clothes, but her ninja gi held a comfort and feel that her previous clothes didn't. Plus, it looked kinda cool. The dark grey and forest green, as well as the bit of black, all mixed really nicely together into a color scheme that allowed her to easily blend into shadows, as well as the wilderness. Even though she hardly considered herself a ninja, she loved the look.

Running through the streets and vaulting over buildings, Lloyd and the girls quickly made their way back to the apartment. As they got to the door, Lloyd pulled out his keys and opened the door, allowing everyone inside. "Home sweet home!" Lloyd sighed, slipping off his hood and removing his armor.

"Ronin!" Skylor called. "We're back!" When he didn't answer, the Orange Ninja groaned. "Where _is_ that idiot?"

"I'm here!" Ronin's voice called from the living room, beckoning the others inside.

Lloyd shrugged off the security nindroid that welcomed him at the front door and walked over to where Ronin was sat, watching TV. "So, Ronin, have you enjoyed yourself with all these…new friends?"

"The nindroids?" Ronin laughed, shaking his head. "Nah, they're kind of a nuisance sometimes. They always are pestering me about how I leave my toast in the toaster oven too long. I say, let it get burnt a little! It tastes great!"

Skylor gasped, looking over at Nya's empty bed. "Where's _Nya_ , Ronin?"

Ronin's expression changed from a grin to a very guilty frown, and he shrugged awkwardly. "She said she was feeling better, so she went out into the city to find 'answers.'"

Lloyd grew angry. "Ronin, how could you just-"

His sentence was cut off as the door opened once more, and none other than Nya walked inside the room, a huge smile on her face. She spotted Lloyd and the others, and nearly squealed, running over to them. She captured Lloyd in a hug, leaving the Green Ninja quite shocked.

"N-Nya?" He sputtered, confused by her expression, as well as the fact that she _ran_ up to him in her condition.

"Lloyd, I have good news!" She laughed, pulling away to face everyone. "Kai and the others are _alive_!" She laughed, watching their expressions. Skylor's jaw dropped, PIXAL looked utterly confused and bewildered, Harumi seemed to possess a mix of surprise and easiness, Ronin looked at Nya with a look that said "you're pranking me" and Lloyd seemed to not know how to react.

After a few moments of silent shock, Skylor exclaimed, "WHAT?"

"You _can't_ be serious," Ronin scoffed.

"Hey, guys," Lloyd attempted to calm the room down. "I trust Nya. Let her explain why she said what she said."

"So, I got this feeling a while back. It woke me up because it was so powerful. I realized over time that it was my connection with Kai. I thought for sure that that must mean he's still alive," Nya started.

"So, that's your only reason?" Ronin rolled his eyes.

"No!" Nya scowled, shaking her head. "I went to see Mystake at her shop, and she told me that the tea she gave Jay that night was a kind of tea that transports you somewhere else when you're in a mess. It transported them to the First Realm! The Realm of Oni and Dragons."

"Rumi and I both saw the _Bounty_ get crushed," Lloyd pointed out. "But no one found any bodies."

"How did we not notice _that_ before?" Skylor facepalmed. "So they are in this First Realm or whatever, but can they come back home?"

Nya shrugged. "Mystake said that they couldn't leave until they fulfilled what they are 'needed' for there. She didn't explain what, but I don't think even she knows. Maybe they don't even know yet."

"At least we know they're alive," PIXAL smiled.

"But this is a realm populated by _Oni_ and _dragons_ ," Skylor sighed. "What chance are a bunch of humans gonna have in a place like that?"

"They're strong, Sky," Nya assured her. "They'll make it."

"Maybe the population there is actually quite friendly," PIXAL offered. "The two kinds were at war once, yes, but perhaps they are over that now."

"Whatever the case, this is still great news," Lloyd sighed happily. "Everything seems to be looking up all the sudden."

"Speaking of which," Nya started, turning to Harumi. "What's with the new getup? Do we have a new ninja on the team now?"

Harumi flinched, worried that Nya would be mad at her for joining the team and "replacing" the guys. However, Nya smiled brightly and offered her hand. Harumi stared at it for a moment before accepting the handshake. "Welcome to the team, rookie," Nya spoke. Not angrily or upset, but in a accepting, thankful tone.

"Thanks," Harumi blushed, brushing a strand of her white hair behind her ear. "I don't really consider myself a _ninja_ yet, though…"

"You will be," Nya assured her confidently. Then she leaned into Harumi's ear to whisper. "I'm sure Lloyd will make sure of that."

Harumi turned red even more, but smiled in thanks.

Nya looked closer around the room, noticing the rest of the differences the others had. While Harumi was now clad in a ninja gi, Skylor and Lloyd's suits now had several upgrades and PIXAL seemed to have a bit of a limp when she walked. Skylor's face looked a bit tired and worn, and Lloyd's eyes…changed color again?

"So, enough from me, what happened to _you_ guys?" Nya asked.

"Our trip was…eventful," Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the floor. "We've gone through a lot in a couple of days."

"Oh?" Nya asked, intrigued.

Harumi spoke up suddenly, attempting to explain the entire thing. "We went to this island to find the Golden Armor where there was this magic sand and a temple underground. Me and Lloyd got trapped underground in the temple and went to find the armor while PIXAL and Skylor were attacked by Garmadon's Fist, who wanted to use Skylor as a slave girl…"

Nya raised a brow.

Harumi continued, "But PIXAL helped Skylor escape their ship and send them retreating back to Garmadon. Me and Lloyd found the Golden Armor, I had to do this weird thing with a wooden bowl, we got out, and then we found Skylor and PIXAL again. Oh, and PIXAL got shot."

Nya's eyes widened.

"Then Borg showed up in some boat he got from who knows where, and took us to the Dark Island so we could get Lloyd's golden powers back. Long story short, Lloyd got his powers back, I was healed from whatever the Mask of Hatred did to my soul, then we flew back here and here we are now." Harumi shrugged. "I guess that's pretty much it."

"Is everyone _alright?_ " Nya asked.

Everyone nodded or shrugged, and PIXAL shook her head. "Fortunately, I am an android, so bullet wounds aren't that big of a deal. If you wouldn't mind, Nya, I would enjoy some assistance repairing my body."

"Of course," Nya nodded. "But first, I need a quick word with Lloyd."

Lloyd rose a brow, but Nya simply grabbed his arm and led him to the hallway where she stopped and began talking. "So, about you and Harumi…"

Lloyd closed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath, but Nya stopped him.

"I'm _happy_ for you two, Lloyd," Nya finished, surprising the Green Ninja. "I really am. I unfairly judged her as being a terrible person, and while she did do some bad things, you helped her push all that behind and become something new. Unlike me, you didn't give up on her. And I'm proud of you for that."

Lloyd smiled. "Thanks, Nya."

"I know you're all 'Master Lloyd' and everything now, but…" Nya laughed at the thought. "I still see you as my little brother sometimes. I'm sure the guys would be proud of you too. So would your father."

"Yeah…" Lloyd smiled lightly, thinking of what his father – his _real_ father – would say to him right now. "I think the guys would approve of Harumi now too. Even Kai, no matter how overprotective he is sometimes."

"Tell me about it," Nya scoffed. "Do you even w _ant_ to know how long it took me to get Kai to rest easy about me and Jay dating? He can be so _annoying_ sometimes."

"That's right," Lloyd laughed. "But I still miss him, no matter how annoying he can be."

"Don't we all," Nya sighed. "Maybe one of these days, you can tell him yourself."

Lloyd nodded, thinking about his brothers, who he had once thought to be dead.

"So…" Nya started, changing the subject once more. "Since you're interested in Harumi now, I think it may be time I give you a talk…"

Lloyd turned bright red, covering his face in his hands. "Nya, how young do you think I _am_?"

"Mentally or physically?" Nya asked.

" _Both_!" Lloyd exclaimed. "I'm _17_ years old mentally. You think I haven't gotten the talk yet?"

"Who told you already?" Nya demanded. "Misako?"

"I w _ish_ ," Lloyd rolled his eyes. "The guys beat her to it. They literally cornered me in my bedroom and forced me to listen to the whole thing. I feel like a lot of it was over exaggerated at times, but whatever. I got the gist of it."

"Apparently so, if you were making out with her in the kitchen while washing dishes," Nya stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

 **And done! Yes, this is another chapter I had a ton of fun writing, and the longest one so far I believe. I usually end the chapters a little over 5,000 words, but for this one I almost went to 6,000. Feels good :D**

 **Yes, the idea of Harumi becoming a ninja may have been a bit cliché, but it adds to her character and gives her more of a use than just being the main character of the story. Plus, you've gotta admit. Harumi would be** _ **really**_ **cool as a ninja.**

 **As for the reviews:**

 **legocameragirl: Yeah, the fight scene on the beach was really fun to write xD Glad you enjoyed it. I always appreciate your support and feedback!**

 **Melodie in My Heart: Stop writing so well? Be careful what you wish for xD**

 **Lyric Prankster: Uhhhhh**

 **AuroraRain18: yeah, this story is getting 'next level' from anything I've done before xD I like it tho. And I'm glad you enjoy this story, including the romantic scenes, action scenes, and just normal chatter of fluff xD Thanks again**

 **Jdizzle: Thanks!**

 **MarbleBird: Why stop halfway? xD Keep reading, I promise my stories aren't bad xD**

 **SkyDreamer12: I'm glad it exists too! And i've seen people call it Lloyrumi, Llorumi, Green One, and different things like that. Whatever you like better, I guess xD**

 **Until the next chappie,  
~EB**


	8. Part 8

Over the next few days, the ninja's apartment was continually filling with more and more people, as more of the Elemental Masters moved in temporarily to join the resistance. They soon ran out of rooms, and some Masters eventually had to sleep on couches or in sleeping bags on the floor. Camille and Tox eventually wanted to bunk with the other girls, and so Camille bunked with Nya while Tox attempted to bunk with Skylor. Unfortunately, there was only room for two in that room, and Harumi already had the other bed. Ronin tried to make Harumi sleep in Lloyd's room as a prank, much to the two teens' embarrassment. So Tox had to sleep in a sleeping bag like everyone else.

There was never a dull moment now in the apartment as the resistance worked to whip up a plan of attack on Garmadon's Palace, in a final attempt to take Garmadon off the throne for good. While Lloyd was now powered up and nearly immortal, there were still risks that come with storming in without a good plan.

In the time that Lloyd didn't spend planning for the attack, he spent valuable time everyday training Harumi in basic ninja fighting styles and morals. She had quite nearly gotten Spinjitzu finally down. Lloyd was certain that in a few more days she would be a master at it. A Master of Spinjitzu…it felt to Lloyd like that title hadn't been used in years.

Harumi tried over and over again to perform the martial art. Every time she would begin to spin only to stumble and fall onto her backside, she would get frustrated. Not only because she couldn't get it down, but because she would have to learn Spinjitzu to learn much of anything else, including Airjitzu.

Having his first real student helped Lloyd's role as a Master a ton, and he really grew an appreciation for the art of teaching. It had its ups and downs, sure, but all in all it really was a huge blessing to be put in such a position. Not to mention that watching Harumi train and work out often made him a bit flustered, but that's beside the point.

"This is so annoying!" Harumi groaned as she got back up from yet another failed attempt at Spinjitzu. She and Lloyd were currently at the old basketball court in the lower levels, where they usually went to train. Garmadon's Fist rarely patrolled the area. Lloyd stood beside her as she tried her hardest to do the technique, only to watch his crush fall on her backside. Again.

Lloyd offered her a hand and helped her up, hoping to calm her down. "Look, Rumi, you're getting the hang of it. Things like this just tend to take time. I'm sure you'll be a total professional at this soon."

"Is _this_ how you learned Spinjitzu?" Harumi asked as she managed to catch her breath. "By practicing the moves over and over again on a basketball court?"

"No, I had a training course that helped me learn the technique. But this basketball court can do the same thing for you. Sure, there's no wooden dummies or spinning swords everywhere, but there's a wide open court. A lot of the time you're gonna find yourself in a situation when you're in a large area, and the enemy is closing in from the front. Most of the time, Spinjitzu is your most effective move for clearing your way through a crowd in a hurry."

"An elemental power would probably be helpful in that area too," Harumi grumbled.

"Not everyone is gifted with a power, Harumi. I know what it's like to not have any. I went from being the Chosen One, full of power, to being a powerless Green Ninja. But I still used what I had to my advantage. Now I have my Golden Powers, but even those can be a crutch sometimes."

Harumi nodded slowly, and Lloyd rested a hand on her shoulder. "If anything, you don't _need_ an elemental power. You can do things on your own that I may never do, just because I always use my powers in a fight. An element might just slow you down."

"Slow me down?" Harumi laughed. " _Sure_ …"

"Hey, I'm trying to sound _wise_ here, _pupil_." Lloyd nudged her jokingly.

"Whatever you gotta tell yourself, _Master_."

* * *

Emperor Garmadon had just about had it with all of this resistance that had risen in New Ninjago City, _his_ empire. Not even just in the city, but all over Ninjago, Garmadon's Fist soldiers had been heavily attacked or even disappeared. Riots had arisen outside important buildings and barracks. Garmadon could only think of one reason why this was happening.

 _My son has returned._

When news of Skylor and PIXAL being spotted and almost captured on a beach off the coast of the city reached Garmadon, he knew it could only mean one thing. Lloyd had a plan, and was rising a resistance to defeat the Emperor.

Garmadon couldn't let this happen. He needed to extinguish that spark of hope.

"Killow!" Garmadon called roughly, beckoning the Oni general inside the throne room.

Rather than Killow entering, Ultra Violet hurried into the room, bowing in respect to her leader. "I apologize, my Emperor, but Killow is currently busy prepping more of the Garmadon's Fist to storm into the remaining villages along the coast. Is there something I can do for you, my lordship?"

"Yes…" Garmadon nodded, looking out the window. "My son is raising a resistance against me, and I cannot let this go on longer. Inform the others that I am preparing a public execution tomorrow in the streets outside the palace."

"An execution?" Ultra Violet questioned, looking quite confused. "Execution of whom? We have no prisoners."

"Then _get_ some prisoners. Grab a dozen citizens from the streets and arrest them. I will have a firing squad prepared for tomorrow." Garmadon smirked darkly. "If everything so far hasn't brought my son running back to me, I know this will."

* * *

 _Harumi found herself in a van._

 _White walls all around her, and handcuffs wrapped around her wrists. Seated on a bench, she blew a strand of her long white hair out of her face, staring down at herself._

 _She was dressed in black, from her shoulders down. She had a few chains wrapped around her waist, and even a pair of black gloves covered her hands. Small dark blue details covered the front of the outfit, and her boots went up her knee._

 _She looked out the window of the back doors, and gasped as she saw her reflection. Her long white hair was undone, resting far past her shoulders, and down to her waist. Her face was painted red from above her mouth and up, all around her eyes, nose, and over her forehead. Her lips were void of any lipstick, and her jade green eyes looked hurtful and sad._

 _ **Oh no.**_

 _Harumi had found herself back in this van, once again arrested by the police after what she originally thought was a failed attempt at resurrecting Lord Garmadon. Harumi didn't want to be here again. She wanted to be rid of these horrid clothes and red face paint, to look alive and happy again._

 _Anytime but now._

 _As the officers began to shut the doors, Lloyd pushed past, opening them once more to face her, just as he did every time Harumi found herself back here. He looked hurt, and angry. He looked like he was just about ready to drown her in the ocean like she had tried to do with him and Misako. There was that tinge of remorse, but it was quickly covered back up by his angry scowl._

" _Please," the words came from Harumi's mouth, but she didn't say them. "You were right. This isn't me."_

" _ **Save it for someone who cares**_ _,_ _ **"**_ _Lloyd shot at her coldly, folding his arms. "I guess you were wrong. You weren't the one that got away."_

 _Harumi felt her body jolt forward as her throat let out an angry scream, but Harumi didn't want to scream. The doors shut and the engine started. And then the van started to drive away._

 _Harumi looked out the window of the vehicle, watching as Lloyd stood there watching her fade away farther and farther until he couldn't see her anymore. She watched his face, how broken and heartbroken he looked, before burying her head in her sleeves, feeling the tears wet her clothes._

Harumi's eyes opened suddenly as she found herself back in her and Skylor's room, in bed. The white walls of the van were replaced with the colorful walls of the room, and her tear-covered Quiet One outfit was replaced with her sleepwear. She had finally woken up.

Harumi tried to figure out why her mind always took her back to that one scene every night when she slept. She figured it was that bit of guilt she still felt for all the things she did to him. She hurt him. Even before she turned to the light and became a better person, the same scene invaded her dreams every night. As the Quiet One, she would scold herself for feeling bad for Lloyd, that he deserved it. But as Harumi, just plain Harumi, she simply lied in bed confused, wishing she could take back all those terrible things she said, all of those terrible things she did…

Harumi looked over at the alarm clock, reading the time.

 _4:46_

The white-haired girl _hated w_ aking up this early, because she knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep until the next night. No matter how hard she tried, she could never fall back asleep. She hated it with a passion.

Trying her best not to wake Skylor, Harumi tiptoed her way out of the room, sneaking past all of the slumbering Elemental Masters on the floor as she made her way to the basement, seating herself down at one of the computers. She opened the internet browser, looking at the latest news articles. She scrolled down a bit before her eyes caught a particular article. She opened it, and it directed her to another web page where Harumi began reading to herself. "Emperor Garmadon arrests innocent civilians for execution…"

 _This isn't good,_ Harumi thought to herself, grateful that she could spend time in thought without Hatred yelling in her head. Now she was free.

Turning around quickly, she got up out of the chair and rushed upstairs, hurrying over to the room hallway, stopping at Lloyd's door. She knocked lightly. After a few moments, the door peeked open and Lloyd's golden eyes squinted in the light.

"Rumi?" He muttered groggily, looking as if he would fall asleep again right there. "It's, like, 5 in the morning. What's up?"

"Your dad is planning an execution today."

"An execution?"

" _Yes_ , Lloyd. He's arresting citizens off the streets and is gonna have them killed!" Harumi hissed between her teeth, still trying her best to respect the others' sleep. "What do we do?"

Lloyd's eyes widened and his eyebrows furled as he seemed to finally understand. "We move," he spoke simply, closing the door again, probably to get changed into his gi.

Harumi took this as a sign, and hurried off to her and Skylor's room once more to change. She opened up the dresser she shared with the Orange Ninja and pulled out the gi itself, then the additional armor and gloves. After she was completely changed, she grabbed her combat boots from the mat beside the door and left the room as fast as she had entered. Lloyd was already there waiting for her outside his own room.

"Do we wake the others?" Harumi asked, and Lloyd nodded in response.

"Do we really have a choice?" He smirked, walking over to the light switch. As he flicked the switch and the lights came on, he yelled into his cupped hands. "Alright everyone, wake up! Morning, morning, morning! This is _not_ a drill! Get those lazy bones out of bed!"

The room was filled with tired groans as the Elemental Masters slowly inched out of their sleeping bags and rubbed their eyes as the brightness got to them.

"Come _on_ , dude!" Griffin Turner moaned, running his hand through his hair quickly. "I was getting my beauty sleep!"

"This had _better_ be important," Tox snapped.

"It is, believe me," Harumi nodded, grabbing the TV remote from the table next to where Ronin had been sleeping and turned the device on. The room filled with gasps and sounds of horror as the same news report appeared on the screen.

"They're executing innocent people?" Neuro asked, confused. "But for what gain?"

"I don't know," Lloyd shrugged. "Maybe to cause fear in the streets, get people afraid. Probably another demonstration of his power."

"I _hate_ demonstrations," Turner groaned, wiping the lenses of his sunglasses with his shirt. "You'd get graded on _everything_ when it came to your oral presentations and everything. I got, like, a C minus on mine, just cuz I had my hands in my pockets! Teachers can be so-"

"TURNER!" Nya slapped the back of his head, clearly irritated and impatient.

" _Sorry,_ " Turner rolled his eyes, rubbing his head. "You didn't have to _hit_ me so hard…"

"If Garmadon is going to be killing innocent people, we need to step in and do something about it, or else the city will lose any hope," Skylor pointed out, grabbing her katana. "I say we take to the streets and show them what we can do."

"Skylor's right," Gravis nodded. "If we're gonna do _anything_ , it may as well be done now."

"Is the vote unanimous?" Turner asked.

"It doesn't need to be unanimous," Harumi rolled her eyes. "Lloyd's the leader."

 _And a good one, at that,_ she thought to herself.

"To the van!" Lloyd called, opening the door and rushing outside, with the others right behind.

PIXAL unlocked the van and allowed people inside, and they began piling in. "Master Lloyd, the seats are now all filled," PIXAL spoke sadly, looking at the Green Ninja. "We fit all the Elemental Masters in the back, and we have the driver's seat and front passenger seat, but it still won't be enough."

"Who's left?" Skylor asked.

"Nya's seated in the back already, so that leaves me, you, Lloyd, and Harumi," PIXAL answered quickly. "I can drive, and someone can take the front passenger seat, but…"

"I have my power," Lloyd assured the android. "I can create a motorbike with my power, and bring another person with me."

"That works," PIXAL nodded.

"I can ride with Lloyd," Harumi blurted out rather quickly, to her embarrassment, but she was straightforward and knew what she wanted.

"Actually," PIXAL rested a hand on Harumi's shoulder, "I will require your assistance in the front of the vehicle. While I am driving, I'd like you to help with the directions."

 _Skylor can help with directions just as well as I can,_ Harumi thought bitterly to herself. Yet, she couldn't let herself be mad at the Orange Ninja. It was just a ride on a motorbike. With Lloyd.

No big deal.

As Harumi and PIXAL got into the van, Lloyd used his golden power to form a green and gold motorbike, helping Skylor get on. Harumi watched out her window as Skylor wrapped her arms around Lloyd's waist, and the white-haired girl felt a knot in her stomach. _Don't worry like that,_ Harumi told herself. _She's just doing that to make sure she holds on tight. Lloyd drives pretty fast._

Still, Harumi felt a bit jealous.

Lloyd and Skylor took off like a rocket down the street, and PIXAL began driving the van close after. The trip was going to take a while, since the execution was apparently taking place in the highest levels outside Garmadon's Palace. So Harumi simply watched glumly as Lloyd and Skylor rode in front of them, feeling the wind in their hair. Harumi's jaw nearly dropped as she saw Skylor rest her head on Lloyd's shoulder. Still, Harumi couldn't feel angry at Skylor. It was just the sight of another girl holding Lloyd like that that angered her.

"You feel jealous of them," PIXAL spoke rather abruptly, nearly startling Harumi.

"W-what?" Harumi shrugged, laughing nervously. "Why would I be jealous? It's not like they like each other or something."

"Not each other, but there is one in interest from what I can tell," PIXAL spoke, her eyes on the road.

"What do you mean?"

"About a year before we all met you, Skylor drifted away from Kai. They had been dating for a few years, but she eventually got upset with how he never reserved time for her, that she left him. Lloyd noticed something was up, and spent some time comforting her and spending time with her. He was only trying to be a good friend and cheer her up, but she quite clearly took interest in him, whether he knew it or not. Over time, he 'friendzoned' her, as Jay would put it, because he quite simply wanted to stay how they were. And on top of that, Kai wasn't too happy with what happened with Skylor either." PIXAL sighed. "It probably was a good thing that the team split up across Ninjago for a little bit. Skylor's interest in Lloyd created some…unneeded tension inside the team. Since then, she's felt awful about it, and seems to have moved on. Still, feelings can return every so often."

" _PIXAL_!" Harumi whispered, shutting her eyes stressfully.

"Is it something I said?"

" _Yes_!" Harumi nodded quickly. "You know about how I feel about Lloyd! Besides, he's not interested in her anyways."

"I never said _that_ ," PIXAL pointed out. "I said he wanted to respect their friendship and keep things the same."

"Just…" Harumi trailed off, burying her head in her arm. "Why am I upset about this anyways? Me and Lloyd aren't dating. He can like who he wants…I don't know why he even wasted his time on me."

"Because he loves you," PIXAL spoke quite simply, shocking the girl. "He gave you a second chance after you hurt him, he spends time with you, he gave you a place on the team…he did all that because he cares about you." The android smiled, reminded of her and Zane's chemistry. "Zane used to do the exact same things. He'd talk with me for hours, make sure I was alright…he was really caring."

Harumi stared down at her feet in thought. _Lloyd loves me?_ She asked herself the same question over and over again in her mind. _Lloyd Garmadon, the Green Ninja, loves me? I mean, I know I love him, but I never knew his fondness for me went that strong..._

"I'm sure when this is all over, Lloyd might even consider dating," PIXAL went on. "He probably would have already taken you to dinner by now had it not been for the current circumstances."

Harumi had to admit. That sounded like something Lloyd would do.

"Anyways, I'm sorry for mentioning the whole thing about Skylor liking him…" PIXAL blushed. "I shouldn't have."

"It's fine."

"Besides, I have talked to Skylor about all this before, and she thinks you and Lloyd are really cute together."

"Really?" Harumi now blushed. "I didn't know…"

"We have arrived," PIXAL called to everyone in the van as they pulled into the high level. She turned off the engine and allowed everyone outside, locking the vehicle behind her.

Lloyd and Skylor hopped off of the motorbike, walking over to the rest of the group. They seemed to have been laughing at something, but a closer look at how they looked at each other made Harumi rest easier. They looked at each other with a look exchanged among good friends, and nothing else. Harumi scolded herself for getting so worried over something so small.

"So, where do we go from here?" Paleman questioned, searching around the area. Jacob Pevsner hobbled around behind him on his short little legs, using his power of Sound to "look around."

"We go there," Lloyd took a breath, pointing off into the distance, right towards Garmadon's Palace. The tall structure basically composed of what used to be Borg Tower, now looking jagged and black, with Garmadon's throne room on the top floor where Borg's office used to be.

"I guess he did eventually move headquarters," Harumi shivered in the cold, hugging her arms to her chest, wishing that her ninja gi was warmer. "Probably a lot more useful than the remains of the Royal Palace, or the Temple of Resurrection."

"Are you gonna be alright heading into what probably will be a battle, Nya?" Lloyd turned back to the Master of Water, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I feel right as rain," she joked, yet Ronin persisted.

"Well, I mean you were pretty badly injured last time you were in a fight," Ronin pointed out, much to Nya's annoyance. "Might wanna leave the fighting to us, sweetheart."

" _ **Don't call me that**_ ," She grumbled under her breath, walking away from the smuggler.

"Lemme take a quick look around the tower, just to make sure we take necessary precautions," Neuro stopped the group, using his powers to look into the minds of people nearby, finally finding the mind of someone right at the entrance of the tower. "This person is fightened…" Neuro described, focusing as hard as he could. "She doesn't know why this is happening…why she is in danger…she's fearful of men holding weapons."

"Garmadon's Fist," Camille narrowed her eyes.

Neuro continued, "She hears them saying something about it almost being time…the men say something about 'the firing will wake up the city for sure'…this is really bad."

"They already have a firing squad ready," Skylor realized, gripping her katana tighter. "We need to get in there!" She took off in an instant, not bothering to wait for the others.

"Skylor, wait!" Lloyd shouted, but she ignored his call. With a frustrated groan, he motioned for the group to follow Skylor, rushing after the girl.

Skylor sprinted down a few streets, as fast as she could, but Lloyd was hot on her tail, with the armor only slightly weighing him down. The Orange Ninja quickly approached the entrance of the tower, ducking behind a tree to avoid being spotted. She looked around at the long line of capture citizens who knelt in chains as the 'Fist members stood glaring with their weapons loaded. She recognized some of the people, whether they were strangers she saw often in public, or someone closer than that, like some of the employees at Mister Chen's Noodle Shop that worked for her. But it wasn't long before her eyes caught the bundle of crazy-combed brown hair on top of a head that wore a stupid face on it. In other words, Dareth was there too.

Skylor had met the "Brown Ninja" before, and even though their interactions had been brief, she found him to be really annoying and wondered why the ninja ever put up with him. To be honest, what use did he actually _have_ except that he had a good deal of money from helping to grow the ninja's popularity? No doubt the 'Fist had found him at a kid's arcade or something squandering his profits.

It wasn't long before Skylor acknowledged the Green Ninja who hid close next to her, and it was only really by his soft breathing that she noticed him. _What do you expect from a ninja?_ She thought to herself. _A_ Master _, none the less._

Lloyd looked around as well, recognizing a few of the bikers that stood nearby with their guns ready. Ultra Violet seemed to be the one in charge, as none of the other important leaders like Mr. E or Killow seemed to be around. He recognized some of the lower class bikers from the ceremony in which Garmadon was resurrected, but other than that, they weren't very useful revelations.

"Uh, Miss Violet, sir? Uh, ma'm? Er…" one of the bikers stuttered, much to Ultra Violet's obvious annoyance.

"What is it?" The Oni-Demon-Witch-whatever-she-is hissed, her tone sharp.

"We've been standing out here for almost an hour now! Why don't we just get this over with?"

"Yeah!" Another biker chipped in. "Just get on with the execution!"

"No, you _morons_ ," Ultra Violet groaned, rubbing her forehead. "We need to _wait_ until the ninja get here! Otherwise, this will be useless!"

"Well then, the wait is over," Dareth opened his mouth – a mistake. "Because you have one of them right here."

"Is that so?" Ultra Violet laughed, walking over to the man. "You don't seem too bright for a ninja, especially for someone with a death wish…" She pulled out a knife, running it slowly underneath his neck, just an inch from the skin. "And besides, what good will you do chained up, _ninja_?"

"I'll do your sorry _backside_ a thing or two, that's for sure!" Dareth smirked. "As in, you'll be knocked onto it when I'm done with you!"

"Ugh, this guy gives me a headache," Ultra Violet whined, turning away. "Thank goodness he's getting shot."

Suddenly, Skylor jumped out from behind the tree, sending an ice blast right at Ultra Violet, knocking the Oni General down. Lloyd followed soon after, using his Spinjitzu to knock out a few of the bikers by surprise.

As soon as the enemy figured out what was going on, they fired away at the two ninja, unable to hit their target. While Skylor used her arsenal of various elements to disable the competition, Lloyd jumped and spun all over the place, over time rotating between Spinjitzu and Airjitzu.

Harumi emerged onto the scene as well, acting as Lloyd's backup, and Nya ran out to do the same for Skylor. Eventually PIXAL emerged as well in her Samurai X armor, with the elemental masters behind her.

"Hands up, kiddos," Ronin rolled his eyes, pointing his blasters right at Ultra Violet. "You too, sunshine."

"Like this?" Ultra Violet sneered, raising her knife into the air before hurling it at Ronin, who narrowly avoided it. Skylor quickly took her down with another ice blast, groaning.

"Ugh, she is _so_ annoying sometimes." The Master or Amber slipped off her hood, brushing a hand through her red hair, which she held in a ponytail as always.

"Is that the rest of them?" Nya asked.

"I would assume so," PIXAL nodded, running a quick scan. "All Garmadon's Fist members in the area have been taken care of. The civilians are now saved."

"I wouldn't be so sure of _that_ ," A voice called from above the group, beckoning the team to look up at the tower. A dark figure stood there a few floors up with his four fists glowing with purple energy, staring down at them.

"Garmadon," Skylor exclaimed, her eyes widened.

"Dad," Lloyd whispered, his heart sinking in fear.

Garmadon let out a small grunt as he jumped down onto the ground, his power surrounding his body. He stood before them, watching with enjoyment their frightened faces. "I'm so _glad_ you could make it. I really am. Having you all here together makes this so much _easier_ for me."

"Fath- I mean, Garmadon," Lloyd shouted, standing firm with his weapon ready. "We, the Resistance, have come here to take back our world. You can't have it!"

"I already have it," Garmadon laughed. "And I'm afraid my hold on it is far too strong for you."

 _We'll see about that…_ Lloyd thought to himself.

Turner ran towards the opponent first, speeding right towards him. After landing a few blows on the dark lord, his luck ran out as Garmadon caught on to what he was trying. In an act no one had seen before, Garmadon simply stretched out his arm and grabbed Turner by the shirt, throwing him into one of the windows at the entrance. His body smashed through, landing in an unconscious heap.

"Griffin!" Camille yelled, her hands placing themselves over her face in fear.

"Stand where you are, Resistance!" Lloyd called back, folding his hands at his chest for a moment before stretching out his arms, summoning the Golden Power into his palms. Garmadon's blood red eyes widened in realization, before narrowing once more.

"You have Golden Power now?" He roared, strengthening his own powers. "Good, son. Very good…" He lunged at the Green Ninja, sending a powered up fist at him. Lloyd quickly blocked it, using his power as a shield and knocking the dark lord back a few feet.

"Good for me, maybe," Lloyd nodded, summoning another attack. "But I wouldn't say the same for you." Lloyd ran up to Garmadon as he recovered, sending several strong punches to his chest. Finishing the combo with a blast of golden power, Lloyd expected to send his father flying back onto the ground again. Instead, Garmadon deflected the blast, sending his own.

Gravis and Tox rushed up to fight, with Gravis sending Garmadon into the air and Tox nearly gagging him with a poison cloud. His strength faltered and Lloyd managed to get a hit on him.

Frustrated, Garmadon fired a few of his own blasts at the group of warriors still behind Lloyd.

"Get out of the way!" Nya yelled, pushing some of the elemental masters out of the path of the attacks. She herself narrowly dodged them, rushing out to battle by sending a few water projectiles at Garmadon.

The water held him back for a moment, giving Lloyd the opportunity to attack him with another blast.

Rather than writhing in pain, Garmadon laughed darkly. "Oh, Lloyd…you may have your precious power back, but it's nowhere like it used to be. It'll take time to get back to full strength…that's time you don't have." He fired larger blasts at a few of the elemental masters that charged him, knocking them to the ground. Paleman sneaked around in invisibility mode before reappearing behind Garmadon, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"That's it! Strike him now!" Skylor yelled, firing a few fireballs at Garmadon. Nya and the others did the same, while PIXAL and Ronin ran up to assist Lloyd. Harumi stood on the sideline for a moment, before realizing where she needed to be.

 _You're a ninja now, Harumi,_ she told herself. _They need you._

As she ran up to help, Garmadon managed to free himself from Paleman's hold, throwing the Master of Light to the ground. He roundhouse kicked Nya into a nearby tree, and began toe-to-toe combat with Skylor while Lloyd resummoned his power.

Skylor barely managed to keep up with the speed and ferocity behind every punch Garmadon sent towards her, with her very much in the defensive position. She faltered, only for a moment, but it became her downfall and gave Garmadon the opportunity to wallop her flat in the stomach. The Orange Ninja collapsed on the ground, leaving only a few more fighters still standing.

Lloyd angrily attacked Garmadon with another blast, this time knocking the dark lord down. As Garmadon struggled to stand back up, Harumi took her turn to send a swift kick at his leg, or at least it was supposed to hit his leg. Garmadon quickly grabbed her leg before it could hit him, throwing her over his shoulder and onto the ground. Harumi felt an ache fill her body as he back collided with the ground, but she still attempted to get back up. Garmadon pinned her down, however, with one of his right hands glowing with dark purple energy.

"Let go of her!" Lloyd yelled, sending a punch right at Garmadon's jaw. The dark lord hung his head for a moment before spitting out a bit of blood, sneering back at the Green Ninja. With a roar, he kicked Lloyd down, firing a blast of his power down on him. Lloyd's body pulsed under the energy, temporarily knocked down.

Harumi's eyes widened as she looked down at him, before Garmadon grabbed her head and forced her to look right into his eyes. He seemed to stare into her frightened jade eyes for moments before his own eyes widened. He pulled her hood off of her face, confirming his suspicions. " _Harumi_ …" he growled.

Harumi was terrified, nearly wanting to cry. From his grip on her neck, his bloodthirsty stare, his angry voice…everything was going terribly.

"I wondered what had ever happened to you," Garmadon growled. "I see you really are pathetic…going to your _enemies_ for a home." He looked over her outfit, laughing. "A _ninja_ , Quiet One? I never thought you would wear such an outfit. Then again, you always have chased wild dreams…" His grip on her throat grew tighter, holding her above the ground. "Face it, Harumi. Without me, you're completely useless. You spent your whole life chasing after revenge, and now with that gone, you have nothing left." He prepared to end her life then and there, she could tell. "And that is why you have nothing to lose. And neither do I." His fist glowed even brighter as he prepared to swing, and Harumi shut her eyes tightly, shivering in fear at what she knew would happen.

The blow to the stomach hurt.

In fact, it seemed to burn her insides, increasing in power every second. It felt terrible.

Harumi's body fell to the ground, her gi now stained in the dirt from the area. As she could sense Garmadon preparing another attack, Lloyd's familiar golden glow came down on the emperor, blinding him temporarily. The Green Ninja pulled his father's arms behind his back, holding them there as Garmadon yelled in pain.

"Let go of me, you fool!" Garmadon spat, struggling under his son's hold. His helmet began glowing a sickening dark purple once again as he unleashed his power. It instantly stun Lloyd's hands, causing the blonde to let go. Garmadon sent a kick towards Lloyd, only to be knocked back by a blow from Harumi. She held him in place for a moment for Lloyd to attack, then spun around for a second in a half-tornado of Spinjitzu, knocking him onto the ground.

Garmadon instantly sprang back onto his feet, determined to win this battle.

After a few more minutes of back to back combat, it seemed like that would happen. Harumi's bloodstained gi was torn and ripped in a few small areas, and she walked with a slight limp. Lloyd wasn't nearly as hurt, but just as much weakened. His energy was beginning to wear out.

"You see your mistake, Lloyd?" Garmadon roared as he grabbed Harumi by the arm. "You see this girl, and how pathetic she is? You see how much of a waste of time and affection she is? She doesn't deserve you. Strike her down, right here." He lit his hand on purple fire. "Or I will."

" _Lloyd, don't,_ " Harumi whispered, struggling to free herself.

"I don't care what she did, she's getting her second chance," Lloyd shook his head. "The same thing that I did for you!"

"Oh, but I don't _want_ a second chance. I don't want to c _hange_ , don't you see?" Garmadon laughed. "I've unlocked my _True_ Potential, and now Ninjago is mine. I don't need your pity. And neither does she."

Harumi winced in pain as his hands gripped her tightly.

"Well then," Garmadon sighed. "I see you are too faithful to your morals to do it. It's too late for you. Just as it's too late for her." Before Lloyd could act, he sent a dark surge from his hands and to her body, causing Harumi to scream in pain.

"No!" Lloyd yelled.

"Sorry, Lloyd," Garmadon shrugged as he continued torturing the girl in his hold. "I know she meant something to you." With that, he threw her into the air, and Harumi crashed through the window of a nearby building, falling inside.

Lloyd's eyes widened and he ran off towards the building, using Airjitzu to get there as fast as he could. Garmadon simply smirked smugly as he watched his son rush off. "If that didn't kill her, the events to come surely will." He spoke to himself before leaving the scene to get some men who would throw the elemental masters into the execution line.

His plan was finally coming together.

The end of the resistance was futile to resist.

Lloyd hurried into the building where he had seen Harumi's body crash inside, looking around frantically. "Harumi!" He called, but he received no reply. He hurried upstairs, stopping in his tracks at the sight before him. He was greeted with several dirty, worn faces of the family that must have lived in this apartment. They were knelt over Harumi's body that lied there unconscious.

"It's the Green Ninja," one of the younger ones, clearly a child, whispered to the others.

Lloyd knelt by Harumi's body as well, looking down at the damaged girl.

"She came crashing through our window," one of the men, assumedly the father, spoke. "She hasn't opened her eyes since. She's breathing."

Lloyd nodded, tears threatening to fill his eyes. Everything had finally started looking up, and now it couldn't be worse. He looked out the window, frightened at the sight. The entire area was cleared of any people. The rest of the Resistance had already been arrested.

"I watched what happened through the window," one of the women spoke. "The Emperor has surely laid waste to you and to her." She looked down at Harumi. "I'm surprised she isn't dead."

"Take her," the father spoke urgently, helping to scoop Harumi into Lloyd's arms. "Run away to somewhere safe where you can recover. If all of your allies have been taken, you're our last hope. Keep yourselves safe."

Lloyd nodded, looking down at Harumi's tired face as he carried her bridal style. Nodding goodbye to the family, he left the building and snuck into the busy streets, hoping to find somewhere to hide.

* * *

 **So yeah. This was a lot of fun to write. Only 2 more chapters left, guys. A lot can happen in 2 chapters, believe me. I'm surprised this story is reaching the end so fast, but that's not to say this is the end of the series. A sequel is in the works ;)**

 **As for the reviews:**

 **Melodie Wolfe: First of all, why do you keep changing your name? xD And also, thanks so much, friend. It means a lot.**

 **AuroraRain18: The gray gi wasn't actually intended to be a reference to Claire, but i can see why you thought so xD And yes, Golden Boi is back. Huzzah.**

 **legocameragirl: Ninja Rumi is lyfe, trust me xD Thanks again.**

 **SkyDreamer12: I actually came up with Green One on the spot when I typed that xD I thought it was cool too, i guess. And I think mentally Lloyd is, like, 17 or 18 by Season 9.**

 **Kylie: Thanks!**

 **Quimby fletcher: Lol, you'd like that, wouldn't you? As Wu would say, "PATIENCCCCCCE."**

 **Kay Drake: Thanks!**

 **Until the next chappie,  
** **~EB**


	9. Author's Note

Hey guys.

So I know I pretty much left my account on here, and I just wanna say that it wasn't because I didn't want to finish this story. I actually had a lot of writing for the last chapter finished a long time ago but the truth is that after I came back to see you guys' reviews and how harsh some people were taking it, I had absolutely no desire to finish Redemption. A lot of you guys have been very understanding, but I still every so often get a PM or review in which people are just being incredibly rude and disrespectful. Words can hurt, guys, I'm serious about that.

NO, I did not leave FFN to get a college degree or something like that, wherever that assumption came from :/

I needed a break. A REAL break. And truly, it didn't start out too well since my initial leaving was not my own choice, but the choice of other events in my life and on here that pushed me away. I have opened an account on Archive of Our Own since I left, named SnappleNinja, and some small stuff I've written since has been on there for you guys to check out, I guess.

The truth is, I love this story but I'm trying to find a way to make the final chapter work. I kinda look back on this story and cringe sometimes because I have no idea what I was thinking while writing some of this. Still, i wanna try to finish this story for you guys, because I worked so hard on it and because I would hate to leave you guys hanging forever.

ONE LAST CHAPTER, and then from then on I don't know what I'll do next. I want to make a full return to this account soon, but I'm not incredibly sure what that will look like yet.

Again, thanks to all the people who were understanding and nice in the reviews, because your support really does mean the world to me. I'm hoping to get this story finished as soon as possible.

Bai.


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